(2020-05-13). We Need a Centralized Medical System Too. counterpunch.org 
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare two fundamental flaws in the American healthcare system. Number one: There's a reason that other rich countries treat healthcare as a taxpayer-financed social program. Employer-based health insurance was stupid pre-COVID-19 because our economy was already steadily transitioning from traditional full-time W-2 jobs to self-employment, freelance and gig work. The virus has
(2020-05-13). If we must die, don't let it be from COVID-19. peoplesworld.org 
Not much has changed in the Black community. The strategy of controlling wealth, access to healthcare, and the demise of African Americans is still as calculated as ever. The mainstream media reports daily on the death rate in Black communities, stemming from crime, police brutality, or COVID-19. As April arrived, the cruel face of reality …
(2020-05-13). Naomi Klein: Healthcare Industry Sees "Potential Bonanza" of Profits in COVID-19 Crisis. democracynow.org 
As the top infectious disease expert testifies to the Senate that needless death and suffering could result from reopening too quickly, author and journalist Naomi Klein says a "pandemic shock doctrine" is beginning to emerge. "The fact that a large sector of the economy, the healthcare industry, sees a potential bonanza here … that's a win for them."
(2020-05-13). The Strangling of the Economy Does Threaten the NHS, Life and Health — According to the Government That Strangled It. anti-empire.com 
For more than six weeks I have been abused and smeared as someone who cares more about money than life, because I have warned that the smashing of the economy by the government was a major threat to the NHS which it claims to be protecting, as well as a general danger to lives and health. | Now, in Paragraph 1.1 of the government's new document on 'rebuilding ' the country after smashing it up, you may find the government's own admission that I was and am in fact absolutely right: 'The longer the virus affects the economy, the greater the risks of long-term scarring and permanently lower economic activity, with…
(2020-05-13). California county could greenlight Tesla factory reopening… even though Elon Musk has already launched production. rt.com 
Tesla could be legally cleared to scale up operations at its car factory in Fremont, California as soon as next week. CEO Elon Musk has already defied local authorities by bringing the plant back online without their permission. | The Alameda County Public Health Department announced that the embattled factory can start making vehicles Monday if it adopts additional safety recommendations. The updates will be implemented together with the prevention measures the company submitted earlier this week. | According to the statement, local police will help "to verify Tesla is adhering to physical distancing" as well…
(2020-05-13). Pennsylvania Health Sec under fire after moving own mum OUT of nursing home while sending sick Covid-19 patients INTO them. rt.com 
As Pennsylvania's health secretary faces harsh criticism and calls to resign over her policy ordering Covid-19 patients to return to nursing homes after leaving hospital, she has admitted to moving her own mum out of a care home. | Dr Rachel Levine revealed when asked by reporters that her mother was moved out of her personal care home when the pandemic began — though she defended herself by saying that she was simply following the wishes of the 95-year-old woman, who wanted to move. | WATCH: PA Secretary of Heath admits own mother left senior facility while coronavirus swept nursing homes. Gov Wolf nowhe…
(2020-05-13). Row erupts between BoJo and Labour, as Covid-19 guidance saying care homes 'unlikely' to become infected re-emerges. rt.com 
Downing Street and the Labour Party have become embroiled in a spat over official UK government guidance issued in February over the risk Covid-19 poses to care homes, with each side accusing the other of misleading the public. | During PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Labour leader Keir Starmer quoted from the Public Health England (PHE)
(2020-05-13). Russia BANS usage of ventilators suspected of causing deadly fires killing six Covid-19 patients. rt.com 
Russia has indefinitely suspended the usage of Aventa-M artificial lung ventilation machines. The recently produced ventilators are suspected of causing two deadly fires in the past week, killing six people. | The ventilators, made in Ural's Instrument Making Plant, have been manufactured since April 1, 2020, in response to Russia's ever-growing number of Covid-19 patients. | According to Russia's health watchdog Roszdravnadzor, the ventilators were used to provide medical care to patients at the S. I. Spasokukotsky City Clinical Hospital in Moscow and St. George's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where fires occur…
(2020-05-13). 'Major concern': Nearly 100 New York children treated for mysterious inflammatory illness thought to be linked to Covid-19. rt.com 
At least 93 children in New York state have been diagnosed with a rare and poorly understood inflammatory disease thought to be tied to Covid-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, suggesting an uptick in the mysterious ailment. | Calling the situation "truly disturbing," on Tuesday Cuomo said state health officials are investigating the spate of new patients who've come down with "pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome," which has already killed three children in New York. | "New York State is now investigating about 100 cases of an inflammatory illness in children that may be related to Covid-19," the governor…
(2020-05-13). Beijing denounces 'immoral' US Senate bill threatening China with sanctions over Covid-19. rt.com 
Beijing has lashed out at US legislation which seeks to impose sanctions on China if it fails to cooperate with Washington's investigation into the coronavirus pandemic. | The bill would require the president to notify Congress within 60 days that China had "provided a full and complete accounting" to any US-led probe into the coronavirus outbreak. The rule would also apply to investigations carried out by American allies and UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). | The legislation also demands that China shutter all "wet markets" which can pose a risk to human health. It also calls for the i…
(2020-05-13). 'Summer cancelled': Los Angeles County to extend stay-at-home order another 3 MONTHS, stoking fears of civil unrest. rt.com 
LA County will likely extend its Covid-19 containment measures until the end of July, a top public health official said, triggering a wave of outrage as residents declare "summer cancelled" and even predict riots in the streets. | The three-month extension to the county's "safer at home" order was announced by Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday. Though she stopped short of issuing an official order, Ferrer said the timetable would not shift until officials see a "dramatic change to the virus and tools at hand," stressing the need for increased testing capacity. | Our hope is that by using the dat…
(2020-05-13). 6,000 more children could die EVERY DAY in areas least fit for battling Covid-19 — UN & Johns Hopkins study. rt.com 
Over a million of under-5s could succumb to preventable causes within the next six months as long as the brewing Covid-19 epidemic keeps weakening countries they dwell in, UNICEF and Johns Hopkins believe. | The gruesome prediction came after Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health looked at how the coronavirus crisis could impact 118 low- or middle-income countries around the globe. | Johns Hopkins researchers, who
(2020-05-13). Lifting lockdowns may cause new Covad-19 spike, but now we know how to respond — WHO envoy to RT. rt.com 
Countries should be able to swiftly identify and quarantine coronavirus hotspots instead of putting their whole societies on lockdown, but people must accept this 'new reality' for it to work, said WHO's envoy to Russia. | "I do believe that there might be a surge [in Covid-19 cases], but we'll be able to respond to it much quicker, having all the experience that we've got, unfortunately, over the last four months," Dr Melita Vujnovic, who represents the World Health Organization in Russia, told RT when asked about the impact of the gradual lifting of lockdowns — that has begun in many countries — on…
(2020-05-13). UK's Health Ministry says confirmed Covid-19 death toll has risen by 494 to 33,186. rt.com 
A total of 33,186 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus have died in the United Kingdom, a rise of 494 in a 24-hour period, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. | Those figures reflect the situation as of 5pm (1600 GMT) on May 12. Including deaths due to suspected cases, Britain's fatality count is over 40,000, according to Reuters. | Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that increasing rates of infection in other countries which have relaxed some rules to tackle the coronavirus outbreak were a warning to Britain not to move too fast. | "It is very notable that in some other countries…
(2020-05-13). Poland to reopen hairdressers, restaurants on May 18 as 'epidemic contained to some extent'. rt.com 
Poland will reopen restaurants and hairdressers on May 18 as it begins easing coronavirus-linked restrictions, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. | "At least to some extent we have contained the epidemic, therefore we can gradually unfreeze the economy," Morawiecki told reporters. | The statement came a day after Poland saw its largest spike in coronavirus cases in a single day, Reuters reported. | Schools will partially reopen to provide day care for children in the first three years of primary school, the prime minister added.
(2020-05-13). Virologist Luis Villarreal: "Leery" of COVID-19 Models, Vaccine Possible Year's End. counterpunch.org 
Somewhat exasperated by the Covid-19 models publicly showcased over the last two months, I decided to ring up virologist Luis Villarreal for his perspective. Luis Villarreal is founding director of University of California, Irvine's Center for Virus Research and UCI Professor Emeritus, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Villarreal told me he takes these models "with a
(2020-05-13). We are vulnerable and scared, say tragic railway worker's colleagues. thecanary.co 
Colleagues of railway worker Belly Mujinga have described feeling "scared" and "vulnerable" after the Victoria station staff member died with coronavirus a fortnight after being spat at while on duty.It came as the government was urged to extend its coronavirus compensation scheme, offering £60,000 to families of NHS frontline staff and social care workers who die from the disease during the pandemic, to the transport sector.A police investigation is under way, launched more than a month after Mujinga and a colleague were attacked by a man claiming to be infected with Covid-19 on the concourse at the London…
(2020-05-13). 'Shobushi' becomes 1st SUMO wrestler to DIE from coronavirus in Japan aged 28. rt.com 
Sumo wrestler Shobushi has become the first practitioner of the Japanese martial art to die from the coronavirus. The 28-year-old suffered multiple organ failure on Wednesday after falling ill with the disease last month. | The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) announced on Wednesday that Shobushi, real name Kiyotaka Suetake, was admitted to a Tokyo hospital with Covid-19 infection on April 10, BREAKING! | 28 year old Shobushi from Takadagawa St…
(2020-05-13). 6.3 Million Will Develop Tuberculosis as a Result of COVID-19 Lockdown, 1.4 Million Will Die. anti-empire.com 
| The head of a global partnership to end tuberculosis (TB) said she is "sickened" by research that revealed millions more people are expected to contract the disease as a result of Covid-19 restrictions. | Up to 6.3 million more people are predicted to develop TB between now and 2025 and 1.4 million more people are expected to die as cases go undiagnosed and untreated during lockdown. This will set back global efforts to end TB by five to eight years. | "The fact that we've rolled back to 2013 figures and we have so…
(2020-05-13). Trump Administration Won't Guarantee Universal Access to COVID-19 Vaccine. truthout.org Despite hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars flowing to private drug companies for vaccine development, top health officials coordinating the Trump administration's COVID-19 response indicated to Congress on Wednesday that they cannot guarantee universal access to vaccines for the highly contagious disease once they are developed. | Speaking remotely over videoconference during a widely anticipated Senate health committee hearing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) pressed the officials to guara…
(2020-05-13). Headlines for May 13, 2020. democracynow.org Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns Senators Reopening Too Soon Will Cause "Suffering and Death", House Democratic Leaders Unveil New $3 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package, Tesla CEO Elon Musk Defies Lockdown Order, Reopens California Auto Plant, L.A. Extends Lockdown for 3 Months as Cal State Cancels In-Person Fall Classes, CDC Estimates 5,000+ More New York City Coronavirus Deaths Than Officially Reported, Progressive Lawmakers Call on World Bank, IMF to Cancel Poor Countries' Debts, Brazil Records Its Highest Daily COVID-19 Death Toll, London Transit Worker Dies After Man Claiming to Have COVID-19 Spits on Her, Aide to R…
(2020-05-13). 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.
(2020-05-13). Colombia's health workers unprotected, patients without treatment: watchdogs. colombiareports.com Colombia's inspector general and ombudsman on Tuesday urged government action to protect health workers and continue providing healthcare to patients not suffering Covid-19. The watchdogs confirmed healthcare organizations' complaints that…
(2020-05-13). Holding Healthcare Hostage: The Making of a Ventilator Crisis. globalresearch.ca When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began dominating headlines, it was accompanied by fears of potential shortages of critical medical equipment including personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. | Nations like Russia had large stockpiles of affordable ventilators on hand — so …
(2020-05-13). IndustriALL questions violations of worker rights by Shell in Nigeria. peoplesdispatch.org 82% of oil giant Shell's workforce in Nigeria is sourced through labor contractors. As per IndustriALL, the workers "live in poverty with no job security, poor healthcare and little regard for health and safety."
(2020-05-13). Judith Butler on the Violence of Neglect Amid a Health Crisis. thenation.com Judith Butler on the Violence of Neglect Amid a Health Crisis…
(2020-05-13). 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 …
(2020-05-13). We Really Can't Screw Up Disaster Season This Year. Global Health Depends on It. thenation.com We Really Can't Screw Up Disaster Season This Year. Global Health Depends on It.
(2020-05-13). The Health Care Industry Could Profit From the COVID-19 Crisis. truthout.org As the top infectious disease expert testifies to the Senate that needless death and suffering could result from reopening too quickly, author and journalist Naomi Klein says a "pandemic shock doctrine" is beginning to emerge. "The fact that a large sector of the economy, the healthcare industry, sees a potential bonanza here … that's a win for them." | TRANSCRIPT | : | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quaranti…
(2020-05-13). Selected Articles: COVID-19: An Ocean of Fears and Lies. globalresearch.ca 
By The US federal and state governments are now hiring "Contact Tracers" t…
(2020-05-13). 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.
(2020-05-13). Results of tens of thousands of Covid-19 tests disappear into 'black hole'. thecanary.co The results of tens of thousands of Covid-19 tests carried out by the government's network of testing centres are not being shared locally, stalling efforts to control the outbreak, it has emerged. | A leaked email, seen by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), said data from a new testing programme of non-NHS labs — managed by consultancy firm Deloitte — is not available. | Sent at the weekend from a regional NHS incident centre, the email said: "No new national testing programme (NTP) data will be reported in this brief from 4 May until further notice. | "This is due to the NTP testing numbers increasin…
(2020-05-13). Night of Decree observed in Yazd amid pandemic. en.mehrnews.com YAZD, May 13 (MNA) — The rituals of the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr) was held in Yazd on Tuesday night by observing health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-05-13). Iran, Russia stress coop. in fight against coronavirus. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Murashko held a videoconference on Tuesday, stressing cooperation between two countries in the fight against coronavirus.
(2020-05-13). 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. …
(2020-05-13). Night of Destiny rituals observed in Tehran's Modarres hospital. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA) — Laylat al-Qadr [Night of Destiny] was observed in Modarres Hospital in Tehran on 19th of the holy month of Ramadan by observing 'social distancing' and health protocols recommended by the National Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters.
(2020-05-13). Failure to halt COVID-19 spread leads to mass deaths in Swedish elder care homes. wsws.org Sweden's high fatality rate is due to official opposition to a lockdown and mass testing, and to decades-long austerity policies that devastated health care and other key services.
(2020-05-13). Sri Lankan president "reopens economy" despite pandemic. wsws.org The Rajapakse regime is seeking to overcome the economic crisis at the expense of the health and lives of working people.
(2020-05-13). The HEROES Act Is a Vital Step Toward Ending COVID, So of Course It Is Doomed. truthout.org There are two ways the COVID-19 story ends for the United States. | The nation can embrace scientific and medical facts as the way back home, make business secondary to life and health, and use our vast financial resources to support the populace even as we roll out a comprehensive testing program to speed a return to whatever passes for normal in this thundercloud of a country. | Or we can burn on the pyre of heedlessly rapacious capitalism. It really, truly is just that simple. As it stands…
(2020-05-13). 'Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach' e-tool to help children with mental health concerns. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn.
(2020-05-13). Ethical Human Rights: China criticizes New Zealand for supporting Taiwan. indybay.org If my book was less suppressed the UN may well take a more positive view of Taiwan's wish to gain formal recognition in the World Health Organization. The UN seems to be following China's 'One-China policy' by excluding Taiwan.
(2020-05-13). 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."
(2020-05-13). The Boston-Newark Megalopolis: Death Certification Agencies are Jacking-up their C-19 Body-counts. globalresearch.ca On January 9, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted authorities worldwide of a potential novel coronavirus outbreak. Three weeks of investigations and conferences later (January 30) WHO declared a global public health emergency. Regions which subsequently posted extraordinarily high …
(2020-05-13). Masking your kids during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Do you or don't you wear a mask? If you do, what material is best? And what about children? Questions around masks during the COVID-19 pandemic abound, especially in light of the recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that all Americans wear masks in public settings. "The direction around face masks has …
(2020-05-13). Trump Pressures CDC to Lower COVID Death Count by Changing Calculation Method. truthout.org President Donald Trump has privately expressed doubts about the coronavirus death toll in the United States, telling aides he believes the number is too high and overcounted. | Earlier this month, "The numbers ha…
(2020-05-13). Spring cleaning takes on a new importance during COVID-19 pandemic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released reopening guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools and homes. Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert, suggests taking a practical approach to spring cleaning. If no one in your household has been infected, he says standard spring cleaning practices …
(2020-05-13). Mayo Clinic's comprehensive COVID-19 research. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org "At Mayo, we've developed a comprehensive research portfolio, or what we call a COVID-19 research task force, in order to respond to every area that we need to learn more about this virus. We have scientists doing research in epidemiology. We have people doing research in immunology and vaccine development, in virology, in translational work, in …
(2020-05-13). Patriotic Vaccines: The Divided Coronavirus Cause. counterpunch.org When it comes to the politics of medicine and disease, the United States has always attempted to steal the limelight, while adding the now faded colouring of universal human welfare. In 1965, Washington pledged financial and technical support to the international effort to eradicate smallpox, though the initiative had initially been spurred by the Soviet
(2020-05-13). Why you need to keep your child's vaccine schedule during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Millions of children may be at risk of missing or delaying their routine childhood vaccines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine specialist, says she understands being thoughtful about taking your children outside the home for doctor's visits during this time. "The current situation with the novel coronavirus shows us how scary …
(2020-05-13). The Mind-blowing History at Fort Detrick. globalresearch.ca Since the Trump administration declared national emergency in mid-march over the rapid spread of COVID-19, the task of developing a vaccine has fallen on the U.S. Army's top virus research lab in Fort Detrick, located in suburban Maryland some 50 …