(2022-02-08). Scientists invent '4-minute' Covid test. rt.com 
The new electromechanical sensors are as precise as PCR lab tests and show results in four minutes, researchers say | Scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai have come up with a new method for coronavirus testing, which they say is as sensitive but much quicker than PCR lab testing. | The new method involves electromechanical sensors capable of detecting, with high precision, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human genetic material, according to the study published Monday in Nature Biomedical Engineering science journal. | "We implemented an electromechanical biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 into an integrated and…
(2022-02-08). Omicron wave devastates US nursing home residents and staff. wsws.org In the week ending January 23, there were 42,584 resident cases, according to CDC data. This number surpassed the record set during last winter's surge, when vaccines were just becoming available.
(2022-02-08). New Zealand government to re-open borders amid escalating Omicron outbreak. wsws.org The dangerous border re-openings are the next stage in the New Zealand Labour-led government's pro-business strategy to end public health restrictions and let COVID run.
(2022-02-08). Construction union leaders hail Biden's pro-union executive order. peoplesworld.org 
(2022-02-08). Turkish health workers strike as COVID-19 pandemic, living costs surge. wsws.org As COVID-19 cases explode and real annual inflation exceeds 110 percent in Turkey, many layers of the working class are increasingly taking strike action.
(2022-02-08). Health and Care Bill drives another nail in the coffin of the UK National Health Service. wsws.org The legislation will further enshrine the ability of the private sector to cherry pick the most profitable parts, while those that produce no "shareholder value" will be left to a cash-strapped NHS.
(2022-02-08). From Embers: A Transportation Worker Speaks on the "Freedom Convoy" itsgoingdown.org From Embers speaks with a transportation worker in so-called Ottawa about their view on the ongoing far-Right convoy protests against vaccine mandates. We spoke with a transportation worker about the so-called Freedom Convoy currently occupying capital cities and border crossings across Canada. Links: Naujawan Support Network Canadian Anti-Hate Network Punch Up Collective (Ottawa) Ottawa Trip…
(2022-02-08). Canadian Protesters Against Vaccine Mandate Block Bridge on US-Canada Border, Police Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Canadian protesters demanding an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates have blocked the Ambassador Bridge linking the US city of Detroit and the Canadian city of Windsor, the Ontario Provincial Police said on Tuesday.
(2022-02-08). Canada convoy protest a truckload of anti-vax and white supremacist BS. peoplesworld.org 
(2022-02-08). Canada: The Left is nowhere on COVID. And that's a big problem. mronline.org 
They have failed to step into the current political climate and counter far-right protests, and get workers the income, housing and other social support they need.
(2022-02-08). More than 200,000 American children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. wsws.org The staggering figure of 200,000 children deprived of their caregivers represents an incalculable social and personal loss, which will impact all those affected for their entire lives.
(2022-02-08). Boston University epidemiologist Dr. Eleanor Murray speaks on COVID-19 and endemicity. wsws.org Part one of a two-part interview on the COVID pandemic and the claims that COVID has become endemic.
(2022-02-08). Right-wing majority on Colorado school board fires superintendent to attack COVID mitigations. wsws.org The ousting of superintendent Corey Wise was an outcome of back-room plotting driven by a campaign against mask mandates and bogus claims about the teaching of Critical Race Theory.
(2022-02-08). Democratic governors in the US northeast dropping school mask mandates. wsws.org While coronavirus cases have hit record levels among children, and hospitalizations and deaths overall continue to rise, the Democrats, like the Republicans are implementing the policy of profits over lives demanded by corporate America.
(2022-02-07). All 72 Wisconsin counties at "critically high" rate of COVID-19 transmission for record fourth week in a row. wsws.org The BA.2 Omicron subvariant has been confirmed in the state as infections and deaths continue at extremely high levels.
(2022-02-07). Omicron-specific vaccines: can be helpful, but needs a global policy, experts opine. peoplesdispatch.org Ever since Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have started the variant-specific vaccine's clinical trials, the international community of researchers and scientists are arguing about the necessity, need or sustainability of such variant-specific vaccines…
(2022-02-07). Spotify Will Not Silence Joe Rogan Over Racial Slur Controversy, CEO Says. sputniknews.com The statement is likely to add pressure to the audio streaming service, which has come under fire in recent weeks to remove Rogan's podcast over misinformation spread by the TV presenter about COVID-19 and the vaccines against the disease.
(2022-02-07). After Amazon Tragedy, Workers Come Together To Demand Safe Working Conditions. popularresistance.org The fight for justice and accountability continues for six Amazon employees who were killed when a warehouse roof collapsed during a tornado in December. | Federal officials are investigating possible health and safety violations at the facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis. Illinois lawmakers are considering raising statewide standards for warehouse construction to prevent future tragedies. And family members of one of the employees, Austin McEwen, recently filed a wrongful death suit against the giant retailer.
(2022-02-07). After Amazon Tragedy, Workers Demand Safe Working Conditions. popularresistance.org The fight for justice and accountability continues for six Amazon employees who were killed when a warehouse roof collapsed during a tornado in December. | Federal officials are investigating possible health and safety violations at the facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis. Illinois lawmakers are considering raising statewide standards for warehouse construction to prevent future tragedies. And family members of one of the employees, Austin McEwen, recently filed a wrongful death suit against the giant retailer. | "My daughter was not expendable," said Jeffrey Hebb at a January rally in front…
(2022-02-07). Peace Groups Say No To War Between U.S. And Russia Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Groups opposed to war rallied outside the White House to condemn the Administration's role in a military buildup in Europe and warned war between superpowers would come at great cost. Speakers questioned why the U.S. is involved in yet another conflict less than a year after the end of the Afghanistan War — its most recent and the longest war it ever fought — while many families can not afford adequate housing, food and healthcare, and communities buckle under crumbling infrastructure.
(2022-02-07). Peace Groups Say No To War Between US And Russia Over Ukraine. popularresistance.org Washington DC – Groups opposed to war rallied outside the White House to condemn the Administration's role in a military buildup in Europe and warned war between superpowers would come at great cost. Speakers questioned why the U.S. is involved in yet another conflict less than a year after the end of the Afghanistan War — its most recent and the longest war it ever fought — while many families can not afford adequate housing, food and healthcare, and communities buckle under crumbling infrastructure. | Speakers from anti-war groups Answer Coalition, CODEPINK Women Against War, Caudia Jones School for…
(2022-02-07). Mental health crisis worsens in Michigan and everywhere, but policies ignore real problems. peoplesworld.org 
DETROIT—A recent article in Crain's Detroit Business outlined the grim future of mental health care in Michigan—as instances of mental illnesses and mental health concerns increase, staffing has not kept pace. In fact, in several places, staffing has decreased. The mental health care industry is two-thirds women, many of which "left the workforce in 2020 …
(2022-02-07). Uruguay To Cover Remaining Localities With Booster Vaccines. telesurenglish.net Aimed to avoid the spreading of the COVID-19 virus, the Uruguayan Ministry of Public Health started a new stage on the program of booster vaccines in uncovered interior localities. | RELATED: | According to the Daily data from the National Emergency System, there is an average of 10,000 confirmed cases; Santiago Mirazo, a virologist, considers the numbers are at least twice higher, which is not confirmed because of the la…
(2022-02-07). Tuesday 2/8: Mental Health Rights: Dependent Adults & Elders Rights to be Free of Abuse & Neglect. indybay.org Online webinar…
(2022-02-07). Drug Decriminalization Is Working in Oregon. Other States Should Follow. truthout.org 
As COVID-19 continues to rage, another health crisis persists — one that is decades long. In the first year of the pandemic, the United States hit the devastating milestone of
(2022-02-07). Sydney University meeting highlights union's role in blocking opposition to reopening of Australian campuses. wsws.org There are real fears among staff members about being exposed, along with students, to the potentially fatal or long-term health consequences of COVID-19.
(2022-02-07). Cooperative Artist Residencies Give Black Creatives the Space to Thrive. independentmediainstitute.org Under the pervasive stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, waxing and waning ad infinitum, with no end in sight, finding time to be creative for creativity's sake can provide a booster to mental health, according to a study conducted in March 2021. Members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community already coping with …
(2022-02-07). Sri Lankan health workers launch strike over pay disparities. peoplesdispatch.org Sri Lankan health workers launched an indefinite strike on Monday, February 7 protesting the government's failure to address salary anomalies and other issues. This follows a one-day strike on January 26 and other actions in the preceding months. | Health workers in Sri Lanka have been participating in intensive industrial action over the past three months. Their major demands include the rectification of salary anomalies, higher allowances for transport and on-call duties from 3,000 Rupees (USD 15) to 10,000 Rupees (USD 49.25), and increase in overtime rates, according to media reports. | The protests that began…
(2022-02-07). Sunday 4/3: #M4A: 2022 Medicare For All Virtual Strategy Conference (Day 2). indybay.org Virtual conference – join online…
(2022-02-07). Argentina: Investigation of New Tainted Cocaine Victims Begins. telesurenglish.net Argentina's authorities are currently probing whether the six new hospitalized people in Rosario are victims of the contaminated cocaine tragedy, which has resulted in 24 deaths. | RELATED: | According to health officials in the Santa Fe Province city, on Sunday evening, four people were hospitalized in the south of Rosario "with sensory deterioration and respiratory depression.," and late in the night, two more patients arrived, all "with a h…
(2022-02-07). In year 3 of the pandemic, the challenges facing WHO are in plain sight. peoplesdispatch.org Gargeya Telakapalli of People's Health Movement analyzes what the recent Executive Board meeting of the World Health Organization tells us about its future and our handling of the pandemic…
(2022-02-07). 7 months after her arrest, Shatha Odeh's case is emblematic of Israeli attack on Palestinian civil society. peoplesdispatch.org Shatha Odeh, the director of the Health Work Committees, has been in jail since July 2021 during which time she contracted COVID-19. Her case is a microcosm of Israel's attempts to eliminate all voices critical of its discriminatory policies…
(2022-02-07). Saturday 4/2: #M4A: 2022 Medicare For All Virtual Strategy Conference (Day 1). indybay.org Virtual conference – join online…
(2022-02-07). For remote education to protect lives and public health! wsws.org We call on educators, parents and students to oppose the reopening of schools for in-person education on February 7 and to take action to demand remote learning.
(2022-02-07). "What If I Can't Insure My Home At All?" dailyposter.com 
(2022-02-07). Kiev denies war plans against Russia as conflicts within the Ukrainian ruling class escalate. wsws.org The government of Volydymyr Zelensky is plagued by internal crisis as it marches towards war.
(2022-02-07). Who Is to Blame for Vaccine Hesitancy? libya360.wordpress.com Donald Boudreaux Tennis star Novak Djokovic famously (or, depending on your perspective, infamously) refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as a condition for entering Australia to play in the Australian Open. Djokovic's refusal prompted National Review's Kevin Williamson and Charles Cooke to engage each other in an online debate over the merits of government-mandated Covid vaccination. Williamson finds such mandates…
(2022-02-07). Michigan State University student speaks out against in-person learning amid record COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. wsws.org Katarina, a student at MSU, spoke to the WSWS about her motivations to start a petition for a remote learning option on her campus.
(2022-02-07). Vote No to Australian Education Union wage cutting agreement with Victorian Labor government! wsws.org The AEU bureaucracy is attempting to quickly ram through the deal by mid-March under conditions of an unprecedented explosion of COVID-19 infections within the schools.
(2022-02-07). Photo Essay: India's Lockdown Happened Two Years Ago, But the Poor Still Suffer. towardfreedom.org Far-right Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in March 2020 a 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb a pandemic caused by COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. The lockdown was extended to 67 days, causing 121 million people to lose their jobs within the first month, writes Sanket Jain.
(2022-02-07). US death toll from COVID-19 heading toward 1 million. wsws.org America's COVID-19 death toll stands as an indictment of a capitalist social order completely indifferent to the death and suffering of the working population.
(2022-02-07). US: "Miserable" Over COVID Pandemic, Economy: Business Insider. telesurenglish.net The percentage of Americans feeling "very happy" plunged from 32 percent in 2018 to 19 percent in 2021, as Americans feeling "not too happy" soared from 13 to 24 percent in the same time frame, a new survey has found. | RELATED: | "Americans are miserable. They're more miserable than they have been in half a century," the Business Insider reported on Sunday, citing the General Social Survey, an ongoing study at the…
(2022-02-07). La pandemia de COVID-19 no existe. globalizacion.ca 
Introducción | Existe mucha confusión y desinformación con respecto a la naturaleza de la llamada "pandemia" de Covid-19. | Los gobiernos y los medios corporativos rara vez mencionan la definición de pandemia. | Lo que confirma la existencia de una pandemia no es…
(2022-02-07). Australian borders open to fully vaccinated tourists from Feb. 21: PM. ecns.cn Australia's international borders will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists within weeks after almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2022-02-07). At Beijing Olympics, China & IOC Accused of "Sportswashing" Amid Uyghur Abuses, Peng Shuai Censorship. democracynow.org 
Human rights advocates say renewed international attention for China during the Winter Olympics should focus on rampant human rights violations occurring across the country. It is incumbent upon the International Olympic Committee to deny countries the bid to host if they violate their citizens' human rights, says Jules Boykoff, author and former member of the U.S. Olympic soccer team. While many have commended China's "zero-COVID policy," the emphasis on keeping infection rates low is distracting from other kinds of suffering, adds Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch…
(2022-02-07). Minneapolis rally against war with Russia. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On February 5, 100 protesters gathered at Mayday plaza on the West Bank in Minneapolis to oppose U.S. war with Russia and further intervention in the Ukraine. Protesters held signs that read "No war with Russia," "Fight COVID not Russia" and "Money for housing, not for war." | The protest's program began with a speech from Susan Banaszewski, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, who focused on the role of U.S. intervention and the role of the media in beating the drums for war, "So U.S. meddling has made everyday life worse for Ukrainians by making sure they have less money in their pockets an…
(2022-02-07). Presidenta de Honduras da positiva a la Covid-19. telesurtv.net "Con la bendición del Creador del universo, sigo atendiendo no presencial, mi Plan de Gobierno para retornar al orden democrático y Constitucional", informó la presidenta.
(2022-02-07). Headlines for February 7, 2022. democracynow.org Macron Meets with Putin, Scholz with Biden, Amid Ongoing Tensions over Ukraine, U.S. Tops 900,000 COVID Deaths; New Jersey Lifts School Mask Mandate, Turkish President Erdogan and Honduran President Castro Test Positive for COVID-19, Ottawa Declares Emergency as Trucker-Led Anti-Government Protests Spread, Family Demands Justice for Amir Locke, Killed in Minneapolis Police No-Knock Raid, Mexico Raids Tijuana Camp Home to Hundreds of Asylum Seekers Denied U.S. Entry, Iran Talks Show Some Signs of Progress After U.S. Agrees to Waive Certain Sanctions, Tens of Thousands Displaced as Cyclone Batsirai Batters Madagasc…
(2022-02-07). Leonard Peltier has COVID-19: Action needed to get him care. mronline.org 
Indigenous activists and supporters held a news conference in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 31 to announce that Indigenous political prisoner Leonard Peltier had contracted COVID-19 in prison, endangering his life.
(2022-02-07). Actriz estadounidense Susan Sarandon aboga por el fin del bloqueo de EEUU contra Cuba. cubadebate.cu La actriz Susan Sarandon se unió al reclamo por el fin del bloqueo de Washington contra Cuba y señaló las potencialidades de la isla en la producción de vacunas antiCovid-19. Diferentes órganos de prensa se hicieron eco de un reciente tuit publicado por la artista, en el que se lee que llegó el momento de levantar ese cerco y dejar que el país caribeño respire.