(2020-06-20). [Comment] Framing health stories: Highlights 2020 photography competition open for submissions. thelancet.com The video and pictures of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, USA, as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck while he pleaded that he could not breathe, as well as photographs of subsequent anti-racism protests around the world, are some of the most powerful images this year. These pictures highlight the devastating impacts of structural racism and the deep inequities in our societies, and have given renewed urgency to the Black Lives Matter movement. This year has also brought moving and sometimes shocking photographs of health-care staff working in challenging conditions—too often…
(2020-06-20). [Editorial] Global governance for COVID-19 vaccines. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered serious gaps in the health-care systems of many nations. In particular, it exposes a fragmented global governance system that does not have the structures to coordinate the pooling and sharing of resources needed to combat pandemics. Since the early days of the pandemic, medical protectionism has emerged as nations scrambled for their own stocks of personal protective equipment and ventilators. COVID-19 vaccines could be the next example. Already there is a danger of a vaccine bidding war, with governments competing for a limited number of doses, well before a vaccine even reac…
(2020-06-20). [Comment] Men's health: COVID-19 pandemic highlights need for overdue policy action. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a cruel light on the state of men's health globally. In 38 out of 43 countries for which provisional data were available, as of June 10, 2020, more men than women have died from COVID-19 despite a similar number of confirmed cases in each sex.1 In several countries, including the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, and Spain, about twice as many men as women have died from COVID-19.1 International Men's Health Week on June 15—21 is an opportune time to focus attention on this issue and the need for a new and systematic approach to improve the health of men generally.
(2020-06-20). [Perspectives] Seeing COVID-19 through José Saramago's Blindness. thelancet.com Some 6 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the emotional devastation, socioeconomic impacts, and pressures on front-line health-care workers continue to shape our world. While words cannot always do justice to the extent of individual suffering from this disease, fiction can sometimes offer a way to process the present moment, and this feels particularly true of Portuguese writer José Saramago's Blindness (1995).
(2020-06-20). [Comment] The Lancet Commission on dengue and other Aedes-transmitted viral diseases. thelancet.com The past 50 years have seen the emergence of epidemic arboviral diseases transmitted by the urban mosquito, Aedes aegypti. More than 120 countries are affected by frequent and cyclical dengue epidemics that result in an estimated annual 400 million infections and 100 million symptomatic cases.1 Chikungunya virus re-emerged in 2004 from east Africa and spread to Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and Europe.2,3 Zika virus spread from sub-Saharan Africa through Asia and the Pacific to the Americas, where it caused a major outbreak associated with severe birth defects and neurological complications.
(2020-06-20). [World Report] COVID-19 resurgence in Iran. thelancet.com Iran was one of the first countries to experience a COVID-19 epidemic, and began relaxing restrictions in April, but cases have since rebounded. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2020-06-20). [Comment] Wakley Prize Essay 2020: medicine and plain truths in a pandemic year. thelancet.com "Sorrow and Truth, sit you on either side of me, whilst I am relieved of this deadly burden…Lend me art, without any counterfeit shadowing, to paint and delineate to the life the whole story of this mortal and pestiferous battle."1 When London-based Renaissance author Thomas Dekker came to write his account of the 1603 plague outbreak, he renounced the "silver-tongued muses", feeling that only plain words and plain truth could do justice to the moment. Four centuries on, the COVID-19 pandemic demands a similar response.
(2020-06-20). [Department of Error] Department of Error. thelancet.com Richardson P, Griffin I, Tucker C, et al. Baricitinib as potential treatment for 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease. Lancet 2020; 395: e30—31—In this Correspondence, the authors Michael Rawling and Edward Savory (BenevolentAI, London, UK) were mistakenly omitted. This correction has been made to the online version as of June 18, 2020.
(2020-06-20). [Correspondence] Cancer and cardiovascular disease — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Nasra Alam and colleagues and Jonathan Knisely and colleagues for their comments about our cohort study.1…
(2020-06-20). [Correspondence] Cancer and cardiovascular disease. thelancet.com Helen Strongman and colleagues1 concluded that "survivors of most site-specific cancers had increased medium-term to long-term risk for one or more cardiovascular diseases compared with that for the general population." The accompanying Comment2 argued that there should be further research into whether cancer should be included in cardiovascular risk prediction tools and refers to cardiovascular models such as Framingham3 and the Pooled Cohort Equations.4…
(2020-06-19). Minnesota mass gathering participants eligible for COVID-19 testing. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently announced that any Minnesota resident who participated in a protest, vigil, or other mass gathering, including first responders, are eligible to receive a COVID-19 test. Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Minnesota are helping to support public health departments in local communities and have …
(2020-06-19). March set for RNC in Jacksonville: 'We can't breathe'. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL — The Coalition to March on the RNC applied for permits from the city of Jacksonville, June 17, to hold a rally and march opposed to Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention. | The main slogan of the event will be "We Can't Breathe — Defeat Donald Trump." The Coalition to March on the RNC will seek to emphasize the Black-led struggle against police brutality under the past four years of Trump in office. The Coalition also stands for a people's agenda — money for living-wage jobs, education, universal healthcare, peace and equality. | The Coalition to March on the RNC…
(2020-06-19). From the Covid-19 Battle Can Come Unstoppable Citizen Power to Propel "Full Medicare for All" Through Congress. counterpunch.org Frontline healthcare, transit, and grocery clerk workers are too busy risking their lives helping and saving people exposed to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic to see themselves emerging as the force that can overcome decades of commercial obstruction to full Medicare for All. These heroic, courageous, and selfless people are getting the job done, often without
(2020-06-19). Hancock promises shielding announcement imminent — leak confirms end July. truepublica.org.uk An announcement on a possible end to the coronavirus shielding programme in England will come "very soon", the UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, said Tuesday 17th June, after healthcare charities called for clarity on the government's plans. The scheme affects roughly 2.2 million "clinically extremely vulnerable" people, a category that includes those who have had transplants, are having …
(2020-06-19). Pakistan struggles with rising number of COVID-19 cases. peoplesdispatch.org Pakistan has the second highest number of cases in south Asia after India. The World Health Organization had earlier recommended the re-imposition of restrictions that had been lifted by the government of Pakistan.
(2020-06-19). VIDEO: The "Lock Step" Simulation Scenario: "A Coronavirus-like Pandemic that Becomes Trigger for Police State Controls" globalresearch.ca First published on February 5, 2020. In-depth analysis of the Simulation of a pandemic conducted in 2010 under the auspices of the Rockefeller Foundation. | By now, those following the novel coronavirus epidemic are familiar with Event 201, the pandemic
(2020-06-19). July 31 cutoff looms for unemployed. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – In six weeks, tens of millions of unemployed people face the end of the additional $600 a week in unemployment insurance benefits. This additional benefit that helps low income workers the most is set to expire due to its being opposed by the Republican-controlled Senate. These same workers were hardest hit by the pandemic recession, and many face the prospect of their jobs not coming back. This is just another example of how the economic relief has helped large corporations, which can aided by the Federal Reserve, while low-income workers are subject to punishment by republicans who see the aid as…
(2020-06-19). India reports record rise in coronavirus cases as major city locks down. yenisafak.com India reported a record daily jump in the number of novel coronavirus cases on Friday as the southern city of Chennai locked down following fresh outbreaks there.Given India's high population density, experts have long worried that a sustained COVID-19 outbreak would lead to pressure on its stretched healthcare system.Prime Minister Narendra Modi lifted most restrictions that were part of a nearly three-month nationwide lockdown on June 8, despite the continuing rise in cases.Data from India's federal health ministry on Friday showed an additional 13,500 cases over the previous 24 hours, with over 300 deaths.Indi…
(2020-06-19). Iran reports 120 more deaths related to coronavirus. yenisafak.com Iran on Friday confirmed 120 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,392.Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said a further 2,615 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 200,262.A total of 159,192 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, he said, adding that 2,833 remain at hospitals in critical conditions.Over 1.37 million tests have been conducted in the country to date, Lari said.Iran sees an upward trend in daily infections in many provinces, especially in the southwestern Khuzestan provi…
(2020-06-19). Philippines reports 661 new COVID-19 cases. yenisafak.com The Philippines on Friday reported 661 new COVID-19 cases taking country's tally past 28,000.The Philippines Department of Health reported in a statement 460 more infections, with tests results released within three days, whereas test results of additional 201 cases were released after more than four days.It added that 14 more people died due to the disease.In total, 1,130 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 so far in the island state, while 7,378 patients have recovered and released from the health facilities.The Philippines has also reported 28,459 confirmed cases.After originating in China last December,…
(2020-06-19). Spain increases coronavirus death toll to over 28,000. yenisafak.com Spain reported on Friday a total of 28,313 coronavirus deaths as of Thursday, after adjusting its database to avoid duplications and errors, a health ministry official said.The death toll series had not been updated since June 7, when Spain reported 27,136 deaths, while the country was implementing a new methodology for logging deaths and cases.
(2020-06-19). "I Can't Breathe": Remembering David Cross, Killed by Corrections Officers in Santa Cruz County Jail. indybay.org David Cross, a 44-year-old local plumber, was killed on September 18, 2005 in Santa Cruz County Jail while experiencing a mental health crisis. Corrections officers who responded that day to address his health issues decided Cross needed to be restrained, so they sat on his back as he lay on his stomach and "hog tied" him on the floor of the jail. Cross screamed, "I can't breathe," "I'm going to die," and "Please get off me," before his body went limp after 3 1/2 minutes of being restrained. Fast forward to 2020, and it is likely that many will see the killing of David Cross in a new light. The world is currently…
(2020-06-18). Global Capitalism, "World Government" and the Corona Crisis. globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 crisis is marked by a public health "emergency" under WHO auspices which is being used as a pretext and a justification to triggering a Worldwide process of economic, social and political restructuring.
(2020-06-18). Socialist Party's manifesto promises revolutionary change in Zambia. peoplesdispatch.org The Socialist Party of Zambia released its election manifesto on June 18, Wednesday, promising universal education and healthcare, as well as the expansion of housing and sanitation facilities for the masses…
(2020-06-18). If Black Lives Matter, must 'Gone with the Wind' be gone? peoplesworld.org 
In 1953 author Simone de Beauvoir asked Must We Burn De Sade? regarding the French Marquis and his sadomasochistic books. Today, as the multiple plagues of COVID-19, widespread economic displacement and police brutality disproportionately ravage the African-American community, we're likewise asking: Must Gone with the Wind be gone? On June 10, the birthday of Hattie …
(2020-06-18). 'NFL may not happen this year': Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci sounds the alarm bell ahead of 2020 season. rt.com 
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says that coronavirus complications could mean that the upcoming NFL season could be hugely impacted, or potentially even canceled. | Reigning Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs are due to kick off the 2020 NFL season in a little over 80 days time, but Dr. Fauci — who was one of President Donald Trump's top advisors throughout the pandemic — says that concerns regarding the safeguarding of players' health might be impossible to overcome. | Despite the COVID-19 health crisis taking place in the NFL's off…
(2020-06-18). Putin: 75 years after WW2, new global crisis calls for victorious anti-Nazi coalition to work together again. rt.com 
In 1945, they defeated Hitler and Imperial Japan. Now, 75 years on, Vladimir Putin believes that the present global health and economic crisis requires the Second World War allies to unite once more. | In a lengthy op-ed, first published in American foreign policy journal 'The National Interest' on Thursday, the Russian president discusses the reasons behind the rise of Adolf Hitler. He also outlines the benefits of…
(2020-06-18). "Main Victim of Caesar Act Is the Syrian Citizen." Ambassador Bashar Al-Ja'fari. globalresearch.ca The Caesar Act comes at a time when the whole world is suffering not only in the health arena (Covid-19) but also in the financial one. | Syria specifically is suffering from great duress. Coming out of a ten year long …
(2020-06-18). Skating on Thin Ice in the Antarctic: Threat to Polar Sea Ice from Escalating Plastic Pollution. globalresearch.ca Plastic pollution has now been found in Antarctic sea ice, which has far-reaching consequences for the health of the planet and underlines When we hear about plastic pollution, it's normally …
(2020-06-18). Barbarism on the Rise: Hunting Mama Wolves and Bears and Their Cubs in Alaska. counterpunch.org Like the French monarch Louis XIV, Trump said I am the state. I can do anything I want. There's no climate change. Corporations are right about the environment and pollution. I will follow their guidance. In about 3.5 years, he reversed the modicum of theoretical and real environmental and public health protection Americans enjoyed.
(2020-06-18). Second COVID-19 Wave And The US Economy. popularresistance.org It is increasingly likely that things are about to get worse in terms of US public health. And as that happens, so too will the US economy experience a further negative impact from the virus. A second wave now emerging means not just a further decline in public health, but an eventual second wave of problems for the US economy as well. | What a second wave all but ensures is that the US economic recovery will not be 'V-Shape' but will be 'W-Shape'; that is, a W shape recovery characterized by periods of short and shallow GDP growth, followed by brief periodic economic relapses thereafter. These short, shallow rec…
(2020-06-18). A Majority Of Workers Are Fearful Of Coronavirus Infections At Work. popularresistance.org The majority of workers and roughly 70% of Black and Hispanic workers who are currently working onsite at their workplaces, and not at home, believe they face considerable risks from the coronavirus. These workers are not being provided with sufficient protection on the job. Moreover, new polling commissioned by EPI shows that vulnerable workers are not receiving extra compensation proportionate to the risks they are being exposed to. Workers require and deserve both safety protections and extra compensation in these circumstances, and they should not be forced to choose between their health and having an income.
(2020-06-18). US Trails World In Coronavirus Response And Almost Everything Else. popularresistance.org Data from around the world on how nations are handling Coronavirus makes clear that, as in most things (this claim is documented below), the United States is exceptionally awful. Among wealthy countries, only Sweden, which has chosen to intentionally allow the disease to spread, has done worse. A handful of countries in Latin America and the Middle East are doing worse than the United States, though some are doing better. As in many world rankings, as documented below, the United States looks fair to middling as a third-world country, but off-the-charts terrible as a wealthy country — much less as a country…
(2020-06-18). Russia: Almost 500 doctors die from COVID-19. yenisafak.com Almost 500 doctors died due to the novel coronavirus in Russia, contracting it at work, the country's Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare announced on Thursday.Russia was not fully prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak, with problems in the beginning, including lack of protective means, head of the service Alla Samoylova said at a video-conference in Moscow.Authorities have so far managed to fix most of them, and the complaints about security flaws are "rather rare" now, Samoylova added."As of today, we say the spread of the virus is not over yet. More than half a million people in Russia are ill, over 7,…
(2020-06-18). Russia revises sharply higher coronavirus death toll among medics. yenisafak.com Russia has revised steeply higher, to nearly 500, the number of medical workers who have died after contracting COVID-19, illustrating the severe toll the pandemic has taken on its frontline doctors and nurses.The Health Ministry had reported on May 26 that 101 medics had died from the coronavirus, a figure that was much lower than an unofficial tally of 444 deceased medical workers compiled online by Russian doctors.Alla Samoylova, the head of a Russian healthcare watchdog, updated the official figure on Thursday to 489, the TASS news agency reported, some 6.4% of the overall nationwide death toll.Russia, which…
(2020-06-18). Iran's daily death toll from coronavirus drops below 100. yenisafak.com Iran on Thursday confirmed 87 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,272.Iran's daily number of COVID-19 fatalities dropped under 100 for the first time after the last four days.Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said a further 2,596 people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the overall count to 197,647.A total of 156,991 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, he said, adding that 2,795 remain at hospitals in critical conditions.Over 1.34 million tests have been conducted in the country to date, Lari said.Afte…
(2020-06-18). Health Ministry confirms 2,596 infections, 87 deaths in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Iran's Health Ministry announced that 2,596 new cases of infections with the novel coronavirus disease have been confirmed in the past 24 hours.
(2020-06-18). WHO COVID-19 vaccine co-lead appointed to head Business School Advisory Board. imperial.ac.uk Sir Andrew Witty, a World Health Organization Special Envoy, has been appointed chair of the Business School's Advisory Board.
(2020-06-18). 911 Services That Dispatch Mental Health Counselors, Not Cops, Gain Traction. truthout.org Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Capt. Jason Castleberry grabbed his shoulder radio, responding to a dispatcher from his office at Austin EMS's Station 5, "Chip 100, chip 1, are you calling me?" "Yes, we've got a confirmed psych call. Are you available?" "Yes, we'll get moving." | Castleberry helps oversee the city's Community Health Paramedic team, abbreviated as CHP, or "chip," and this was just the type of call I had come to the station that morning to witness. We hopped…
(2020-06-18). Trump Claimed Coronavirus Will "Fade Away" on a Day That Saw 26,000 New Cases. truthout.org In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump tried to portray the current state of the coronavirus crisis in the United States in a positive light, implying that the disease would soon be disappearing on its own, without scientific evidence backing his claim. | Although he said a vaccine was close to being developed, he also suggested the need for one wouldn't be that strong by the time it would be fully developed and available. | "We're very close to a vaccine and w…
(2020-06-17). Macron unleashes riot police against French health care protests. wsws.org The Macron administration organized a violent assault on health care workers who just weeks earlier were self-servingly hailed for their sacrifice during the pandemic.
(2020-06-17). French health workers hit the streets, demand that government save public health system. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers organized massive demonstrations in Paris and other cities across France Tuesday June 16 to demand that the government save public hospitals. The call for mobilization was given by Inter-urgences and Collectif-inter-hà¥pitaux, and supported by several unions, including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and Solidaires. | According to reports, a hundred thousand people marched in Paris alone, along with tens of thousands in other French cities like Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille and Nantes, among others. Protesters denounced the government led by Emmanuel Macron for weakening the public…
(2020-06-17). French health workers hit the streets, demand government to save public health system. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers organized massive demonstrations in Paris and other cities across France Tuesday June 16 to demand that the government save public hospitals. The call for mobilization was given by Inter-urgences and Collectif-inter-hà¥pitaux, and supported by several unions, including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and Solidaires. | According to reports, a hundred thousand people marched in Paris alone, along with tens of thousands in other French cities like Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille and Nantes, among others. Protesters denounced the government led by Emmanuel Macron for weakening the public…
(2020-06-17). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. zcomm.org Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade…
(2020-06-17). Meet Jamaal Bowman, the Bronx Principal Challenging One of the Most Powerful Dems in Congress. democracynow.org 
In the Bronx, the second most economically unequal district in New York state, the insurgent primary campaign of former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman threatens to unseat 16-term Democratic congressmember and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel. Bowman supports defunding the police, Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. He has also gotten high-profile endorsements from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The New York Times editorial board. "I've worked in this district for the last 10 years as a middle school principal," Bowman says. "Ove…
(2020-06-17). What Trump Continues to Say (About the Plague). counterpunch.org 
In three previous pieces in CounterPunch I compiled Donald Trump's statements on the COVID-19 pandemic up to May 2nd-3rd. Here is a continuation of that list. Rather than place Trump's statements in strict chronological order, I have sometimes put 2 or more of statements from different days together, to highlight Trump's contradictions and subsequent deviations—
(2020-06-17). Vaccine Developers Have a Problem: the Virus Is Going Away Too Quickly on Its Own. anti-empire.com 
Related:
| The top teams rushing to develop coronavirus vaccines are alerting governments, health officials and shareholders that they may have a big problem: The outbreaks in their countries may be getting too small to quickly determine whether vaccines work. | A leader of the Oxford University group, one of the furthest ahead with human trials, admits the reality is paradoxical, even "bizarre," but said the declining numbers…
(2020-06-17). COVID Lockdowns Have Sped Up the Spread of Other Diseases, a Measles Explosion Feared. anti-empire.com 
As poor countries around the world struggle to beat back the coronavirus, they are unintentionally contributing to fresh explosions of illness and death from other diseases — ones that are readily prevented by vaccines. | This spring, after the World Health Organization and
(2020-06-17). Climate change is killing Americans. Health departments aren't equipped to respond. nationofchange.org How a decade of neglect and politics undermined the CDC's fight against climate change…
(2020-06-17). Welcoming early results on use of dexamethasone in sickest COVID-19 patients, WHO warns it's 'no cure-all'. news.un.org The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday hailed news from the United Kingdom that a common steroid, dexamethasone, can potentially help save the lives of patients with severe cases of COVID-19, but it warned that it is by no means a cure-all.