(2020-05-12). Coronavirus and Dodgy Death Numbers. globalresearch.ca Not only are the coronavirus models being used by WHO and the most national health agencies based on highly dubious methodologies, and not only are the tests being used of wildly different quality, that only indirectly confirm antibodies of a …
(2020-05-12). Bernie Sanders' interview with the Washington Post: The thin gruel of Democratic Party politics. wsws.org Sanders glossed over the reality of the health and economic catastrophe facing millions of workers and made no mention of the corporate bailouts for which he has voted in the Senate.
(2020-05-12). Headlines for May 12, 2020. democracynow.org Dr. Fauci to Warn Lawmakers of "Needless Suffering and Death" If Lockdowns End Too Soon, European Countries Report New Spikes as They Reopen Economies, Trump Makes False Claim About Testing Capacity, Tells Reporter Weijia Jiang to "Ask China" About Coronavirus, PA Plant Canceled Trump Visit over Concern for Worker Health, New Study Finds Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Help COVID-19, Can Cause Heart Attacks, China Threatens "Countermeasures" for U.S. Journalist Visa Restrictions, Meatpacking Union Condemns Reopening of Factories Amid Pandemic, India Starts to Ease Lockdown as Cases Mount, Coronavirus Cases Mount in W…
(2020-05-12). Antibody tests show Ohio had first Covid-19 cases as early as JANUARY — state health director. rt.com 
There were at least five coronavirus infections in Ohio as far back as January, the state's health director said, suggesting the illness began spreading there weeks earlier than previously thought. | The five early cases — believed to have emerged across five Ohio counties between January 7 and 27 — were announced on Monday by Department of Health Director Dr Amy Acton, who said the previously unknown infections were picked up amid ramped up antibody testing. | "We actually have a new date of onset. We have found five cases now when the date of onset of symptoms was in January," Acton told a statehou…
(2020-05-12). Spanish govt orders 2-week quarantine for incoming travelers on May 15-24. rt.com 
The government in Madrid has ordered a two-week quarantine for all travelers coming into Spain from May 15 in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. | Incoming travelers will have to remain indoors and will only be allowed to go outside for grocery shopping, health center visits and in "situations of need," according to an official order published on Tuesday. | The quarantine has been enforced for all travelers entering the country between May 15 and at least May 24, when the state of emergency is due to end. | The quarantine order can be extended jointly with possible state of emergency extensions…
(2020-05-12). Singapore plans coronavirus tests for all migrant workers as some businesses reopen. rt.com 
Singapore plans to test all 323,000 migrant workers living in cramped dormitories that have become a hotbed for coronavirus in the city-state, the government said on Tuesday. The island's tally of 24,671 infections is one of Asia's highest, with the vast majority among migrant workers squeezed into often unsanitary dormitories. | "The taskforce has drawn up a plan to allow migrant workers residing in the dormitories… to be progressively cleared so they can be safely returned to work when the time comes," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said. | Infections in the dormitories had "stabilized," Gan added, with the…
(2020-05-12). Facebook paying $52 million settlement to moderators who claim they developed PTSD through work. rt.com 
Current and former moderators for Facebook will each be receiving $1,000 or more, as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed having to deal with censoring content made them develop post traumatic stress disorder. | The social media giant will be paying out extra to individuals for additional mental health issues stemming from their jobs, such as depression. The settlement, first reported by
(2020-05-12). Sanctions = Health terrorism. workers.org 
A timely international webinar, sponsored by SanctionsKill.org on May 9, featured representatives from Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Syria and Venezuela, plus a statement from Zimbabwe addressing the deadly impact of U.S. sanctions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1,000 people from nearly every continent, including multiple U.S. cities, viewed the event. The . . . |
(2020-05-12). U.S. hand in recent assaults on Cuba, Venezuela. peoplesworld.org 
Secretary of State Pompeo loudly condemns Iranian border guards who abused Afghans crossing into Iran. He castigates China's supposed failings with the COVID 19 pandemic. He and President Trump rail against dictatorship they see in Venezuela. They protest Cuba's "slave doctors" — who actually "defend health care as a human right," according to Cuba's foreign …
(2020-05-12). 'Current health crisis revealed ideological bankruptcy of our leaders': Marine Le Pen slams govt as France eases quarantine. rt.com 
The head of the French right-wing opposition party National Rally, Marine Le Pen, has blasted the government for its "series of failures" as it began to relax the Covid-19 quarantine restrictions. | "This health crisis has revealed the ideological bankruptcy with which our leaders have been leading our country: the bankruptcy of the profit logic in public policy, the bankruptcy of ultra-liberalism, Europeanism, and globalism," Le Pen told RFI radio. | We've seen an uninterrupted series of inconsistencies and failures since the start of the crisis, and this is still the case with transport management! But that…
(2020-05-12). 'Humans are not herds': WHO thrashes 'brutal arithmetic' of herd immunity to beat Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com 
In the absence of a vaccine, the increasingly discussed idea of beating the novel coronavirus pandemic through achieving so-called herd immunity could be a disastrous miscalculation, a senior WHO official has warned. | "This is a really dangerous, dangerous calculation," Michael Ryan, head of the World Health Organization's health emergencies program, This idea that maybe countries that had lax measures and haven't done anything will all of a sudden magically reach some herd i…
(2020-05-12). Lebanon to be 'fully shut down' from Wednesday evening to Sunday — govt. rt.com 
The government in Beirut on Tuesday decided to fully shut down the country from Wednesday evening until Monday morning at the recommendation of the health minister. The move comes in the wake of the biggest spike in weeks in the numbers of coronavirus cases. | "The general lockdown measures will include exceptions as in the first phase," Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi told reporters after a Cabinet session at the presidential palace in Baabda. "We will carry out a reevaluation on Sunday and the expat repatriation process will continue." | Information Minister Manal Abdul Samad said "the full lockdown will be…
(2020-05-12). Disease capitalism and COVID-19: Hunger in the belly of the beast. mronline.org 
For capital, profits come from disease, not peoples' health. COVID-19 shows the consequence of disease capitalism in a globalized world, the rich—countries or individuals—will not be spared either.
(2020-05-12). No HEROES here: Democrats seek tax breaks for rich donors & lobbyists in $3 TRILLION Covid-19 wishlist bill. rt.com 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposed $3 trillion coronavirus aid bill contains massive tax breaks for wealthy Democrat donors and lobbyists but precious little for working Americans, and has an odd preoccupation with cannabis. | Dubbed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, the
(2020-05-12). Norway dipping into its massive piggy bank to battle Covid-19 crisis. rt.com 
Norway is set to withdraw $41 billion from its sovereign wealth fund to cushion the blow to the economy from the coronavirus crisis that has resulted in falling oil prices and the highest unemployment in the country in 75 years. | Known officially as the Government Pension Fund, it is the world's biggest wealth fund, worth over $1 trillion. The government announced on Tuesday that it will have to sharply increase spending from the fund, to avoid "sharper downturn and to help healthy companies through the crisis." | According to the Finance Ministry's mid-year fiscal review, the revised budget calls for the use…
(2020-05-12). Canada teams up with Chinese scientists to co-produce potential Covid-19 vaccine and test it on humans. rt.com 
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has struck a deal with a Chinese biotechnology company developing one of the "most advanced" vaccine candidates against the novel coronavirus to produce and test in Canada. | A vaccine named Ad5-nCoV, which may prove effective against Covid-19, has been developed by China's CanSino Biologics company together with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, part of the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences. It was already approved for the first phase of clinical trials in China in mid-March and is now expected to be tested in Canada too. | Also on rt.com | | <...
(2020-05-12). 'I don't think you are the end-all': Rand Paul calls out Fauci over Covid-19 policy based 'one wrong prediction after another'. rt.com 
Republican Senator Rand Paul has challenged National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr Anthony Fauci on the nation's Covid-19 policy, suggesting the US is waiting too long to reopen. | Paul, who also has a medical degree, called for "a little bit of humility in our belief that we know what's best for our economy," questioning Fauci's support for a prolonged economic shutdown during a Senate hearing on the government's coronavirus response on Tuesday. | Sen. Paul argues school decisions should be made district by district, tells Dr. Fauci: "I don't think you're the end all." | Fauci: "I'
(2020-05-12). China to test ENTIRE POPULATION of Wuhan for Covid-19 after disease reemerges. rt.com 
Chinese authorities plan to test all of Wuhan's 11 million residents for Covid-19 in a little over a week. After more than a month without newly-recorded cases, the disease has suddenly reappeared in the city. | All districts in the city were ordered to submit a plan on how they will conduct testing of all residents in their areas within 10 days, local media reported, citing a document from the authorities. The officials were told to prioritize the testing of vulnerable groups and places like residential compounds. | The measure was announced as a response to the six new locally-transmitted cases that were rec…
(2020-05-12). Russia becomes world's second hardest-hit country with 230,000+ confirmed Covid-19 cases, surpassing Spain & UK. rt.com 
With 10,899 more coronavirus infections reported across the country on Tuesday morning, Russia now trails only the United States in terms of people known to have contracted Covid-19. | Nationwide, 232,243 confirmed cases have been discovered since the start of the outbreak, national disease response officials said. This figure is higher than those recorded by Spanish (227,436), British (224,332) and Italian (219,814) authorities. | However, it's worth noting that Russia has over twice the population of those countries and has carried out far more tests. | At the same time, Russia has had considerably fewer dea…
(2020-05-12). Trump Regime Hardliners Want Social Security and Medicare Eliminated. globalresearch.ca Social Security and Medicare are insurance programs, not welfare — funded by equal worker-employer payroll tax deductions. | Self-employed workers pay what's called the Self Employment Contributions Act (SECA) tax. | Both programs are federally established contractual obligations to eligible recipients, the …
(2020-05-12). Cuba Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for Its Fight Against COVID-19. globalresearch.ca The French organization Cuba Linda has recommended awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuban medical brigades for their efforts to eradicate COVID-19. | "The international community is witnessing the solidarity of health professionals who leave their country to provide services and …
(2020-05-12). [Research Paper] Mapping of variations in child stunting, wasting and underweight within the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2000—2017. thelancet.com CGF indicators have improved in India, but there are substantial variations between the districts in their magnitude and rate of decline, and the inequality between districts has increased in a large proportion of the states. The poor correlation between the national surveys for CGF estimates highlights the need to standardise collection of anthropometric data in India. The district-level trends in this report provide a useful reference for targeting the efforts under NNM to reduce CGF across India and meet the Indian and global targets.
(2020-05-12). We don't need empty praise: Nurses' unions demand better protection, rights. peoplesdispatch.org May 12 is globally observed as International Nurses Day. The day marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who revolutionized healthcare and introduced modern nursing. This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have come out to tell us that they have been left behind. | A virtual press conference held by Public Services International (PSI), on the eve of the Nurses Day, had unions from different parts of the Asia-Pacific region talk about the monumental challenges during the pandemic. According to the South-East Asian Regional Office (SEARO) of the World Health Organization, at this time, the Asia-P…
(2020-05-12). Essential For Survival: The Need Of Global Solidarity. indybay.org People are dying, every day. Many people are dying too early. People are dying through war, poverty, disease, lack of healthcare or lack of food. People are dying of starvation. Now, in the year 2020, a new disease is spreading around the globe, killing hundreds of thousands and affecting everybody's life.
(2020-05-12). South Africa: COVID-19 Crisis Unmasks Dangers of Profit Oriented Healthcare. globalresearch.ca The pandemic has shown the need for medical care and interventions that have nothing to do with profit. But not even SA's proposed National Health Insurance would fit the bill. | *** | Covid-19 has been linked to a number of truth …
(2020-05-12). Mayo Clinic receives $26 million from BARDA for COVID-19 convalescent plasma expanded access program. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic was awarded a $26 million contract today from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The financial support is for the Expanded Access Program (EAP) for convalescent plasma to fight COVID-19. …
(2020-05-12). Madagascar Slams WHO for Not Endorsing Its Herbal Cure. globalresearch.ca Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has slammed the World Health Organization for not endorsing its COVID-19 herbal cure. | Last month, the Malagasy president officially launched Covid-Organics (CVO), an organic herbal concoction, claiming that it can prevent and cure patients suffering from …
(2020-05-12). Cuba to Begin Mass-Scale COVID-19 Testing. globalresearch.ca Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of Epidemiology of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, reported on Sunday that a considerable part of the population will be given tests to detect possible positive cases of COVID-19. | Durán explained that a …
(2020-05-12). Coronavirus restrained in many parts of Iran: health min. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) —Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki said on Tuesday that coronavirus has been restrained in many parts of Iran.
(2020-05-12). World Health Organization warns premature return to work risks resurgence of pandemic. wsws.org World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated his warnings Monday that a premature return to work without adequate measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic risks a second wave of infections.
(2020-05-12). The Wet-Bulb Peril Has Arrived… Way Too Early. counterpunch.org The human body has limits. If "temperature plus humidity" is high enough, even a healthy person seated in the shade with plentiful water to drink will suffer severely or likely die. It's the Wet-Bulb Temperature WBT effect. There is an upper limit to human capacity to adapt to excessive global heat when combined with excessive
(2020-05-12). In criminal pursuit of profits, Tesla CEO Elon Musk restarts production. indybay.org In open defiance of local public health authorities, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unilaterally restarted production Monday at the company's sole US assembly facility in Fremont, California, which employs roughly 10,000 workers.
(2020-05-12). Science Saturday: Regenerative approaches could foster healing from COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Regenerative Medicine aims not only to repair or restore the function of cells, tissues or organs, but also the whole person. The latter is particularly important amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Regenerative approaches draw on the body's natural abilities to heal, focus on establishing the healing environments and building new, healthy ways of functioning. These aspects of regenerative …
(2020-05-12). Face Masks Pose Serious Risks to the Healthy. globalresearch.ca "By wearing a mask, the exhaled viruses will not be able to escape and will concentrate in the nasal passages, enter the olfactory nerves and travel into the brain." — Russell Blaylock, MD | Researchers found that about a third of …
(2020-05-12). US nursing students discuss impact of the pandemic on medical education. wsws.org With overwhelmed hospitals and the immense pressures now exerted on health care workers, the quality of the education of medical and nursing students has been greatly affected.
(2020-05-12). Herd immunity for Covid-19 is a 'dangerous' concept says World Health Organisation. thecanary.co The World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned the "dangerous" concept of herd immunity for Covid-19. | Herd immunity is an epidemiological term usually reserved to describe how the population as a whole is protected from a disease depending on the levels of people vaccinated. | For instance, when 90%-95% of the population is vaccinated against measles, this should be enough to protect others who are unable to get an inoculation — such as babies before they reach the age at which they can be immunised. | Asked about the concept being applied to the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO said "no-one is safe until ev…
(2020-05-12). Empowering local services is key to fighting virus, says public health expert. thecanary.co A leading public health expert has urged the government to drop its top-down "command-and-control" response to coronavirus (Covid-19) to give the UK the best chance to fight future spikes in infections. | Andrew Lee said empowering local services is the key to tackling the further outbreaks he expects as the country learns to live with Covid-19, but said these surges will be geographically specific. | Dr Lee, who is reader in global public health at Sheffield University, said the key to controlling these outbreaks is speed of response and the current centralised system is too slow to react. | He said: "We just ha…
(2020-05-12). In criminal pursuit of profits, Tesla CEO Elon Musk restarts production at California facility. wsws.org In open defiance of local public health authorities, Musk sent 10,000 workers back to work Monday, dramatically increasing the likelihood of the spread of COVID-19 throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
(2020-05-12). Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump's Increased Water Exports Plan. indybay.org In a statement, Mike Conroy, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), said, "This is a big victory for west coast salmon fishing families and the communities which are dependent upon healthy salmon stocks throughout the State."
(2020-05-12). A World Health Crisis? — So Ramp Up Confrontation and Deploy Nuclear Bombers. strategic-culture.org The Pentagon is excelling itself in its enthusiastic march to war. There are countless thousands suffering from the effects of the Covid-19 virus, including hundreds of members of the U.S. armed services, while the world's despots are relishing their freedom to persecute minorities, and the poor and downtrodden are dying in hideous misery because of starvation and lack of medical care. But the propaganda war against China continues, concurrent with ramping up of anti-China confrontation by Washington in its ongoing deployment of nuclear attack warships and bombers to the Western Pacific and the South China Sea.
(2020-05-12). UNICEF ships fifth cargo of protective supplies to Iran amid COVID-19 outbreak. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) — The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has delivered the fifth consignment of supplies to Iran to help the country in the fight against the coronavirus, according to Iran's deputy health minister.
(2020-05-12). Over 5 million people now suffering food insecurity in lockdown. truepublica.org.uk The UK has been in official COVID-19 lockdown since March 23 and, just like in other countries, the disruption to the economy has hit people already in a more vulnerable position the hardest. These include people on low incomes or in precarious work situations; or who are dealing with long-term physical or mental health conditions. This issue of …
(2020-05-12). France's Earlier Detection of COVID-19 Raises Questions on Global Origin. strategic-culture.org The emergence of Covid-19 was first reported by the authorities in China on December 31, as acknowledged by the World Health Organization. But that emergence does not necessarily mean the pandemic originated in China. | By January 30, 2020, a WHO situation report
(2020-05-12). Iranian researchers attain knowledge of producing corona drugs. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) — An official with the Health Ministry said that Iranian researchers managed to attain the technical knowhow and knowledge of producing the novel coronavirus drugs.
(2020-05-12). Latinx Communities & Accessing Reproductive Health Care During COVID-19. indybay.org Online via Instagram livestream…
(2020-05-12). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Maintaining routine vaccine schedules during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the World Health Organization(WHO) says more than 117 million children in 37 countries may be missing out on the lifesaving measles vaccine. The WHO had issued some guidelines to help countries sustain immunization activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic …
(2020-05-12). Iran coronavirus updates: 1,401 new coronavirus cases, 48 deaths. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) — Iranian Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that 1,401 new COVID-19 infections have been identified in the country during the past 24 hours.
(2020-05-12). 'Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach' e-tool to help children with mental health concerns. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn.
(2020-05-12). Colombia considering guaranteed minimum income as famine looms. colombiareports.com Almost half of Colombia's senators signed off on a proposal to urgently implement a guaranteed minimum income for more than 70% of the population. The radical proposal would temporarily guarantee…
(2020-05-12). Colombia considering guaranteed minimum income as famine looms. colombiareports.com Almost half of Colombia's senators signed off on a proposal to urgently implement a guaranteed minimum income for more than 70% of the population. The radical proposal would temporarily guarantee…