(2022-02-19). Deadly BA.2 subvariant of Omicron spreading in more than 74 countries. wsws.org As the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron accounts for a growing proportion of new cases globally, recent evidence points to its increased infectivity, higher virulence and greater immune-evading capacity.
(2022-02-19). Ethical Considerations and Experimental Vaccines. dissidentvoice.org 
(2022-02-19). [Comment] Offline: A lie at the heart of public health. thelancet.com The John Snow Society describes their illustrious namesake as "the pioneer of epidemiological method". His identification of the source of cholera in Soho, London, and the removal of the handle of a water pump in Broad Street in 1854 is celebrated annually with the Pumphandle Lecture. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine named a lecture theatre after Snow. Indeed, the epidemiology community has deified Snow as a founding father of public health. But, as Jim Downs argues in his searching reappraisal of the origins of epidemiology, Maladies of Empire, western epidemiologists have invented a comforting…
(2022-02-19). [Perspectives] Samuel K Roberts: illuminating history, racial bias, and public health. thelancet.com In 2009, Samuel Kelton Roberts, Jr's first book, Infectious Fear: Politics, Disease, and the Health Effects of Segregation, was published. "The book itself is about how racialism is baked into the kernel of modern public health practice here in the USA. Some of the most foundational moments in public health sit adjacent to or are ones that play a role in our history of race and racialisation. Even the way we collected data in the 19th and early 20th century was not just racially biased, but often racialised in their methods.
(2022-02-19). [Perspectives] A public health manifesto. thelancet.com The way that societies divide and manage our resources and treat our planet is not working. This failure is the starting point of a number of books that have been published during the COVID-19 pandemic, including GO BIG: 20 Bold Solutions to Fix Our World by Ed Miliband. This book, partly based on Miliband and Geoff Lloyd's podcast Reasons to Be Cheerful, identifies what is wrong with our political and multilateral systems and sets out solutions to fix our world. "In saying we need to 'go big' I am advocating not just the consideration of ideas that promise significant change but for politics to rediscover its se…
(2022-02-19). More than 3.06b COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on Chinese mainland. ecns.cn The number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on the Chinese mainland has reached over 3.06 billion on Wednesday, data from the National Health Commission showed Tuesday.
(2022-02-19). Biden Extends State of Emergency in US Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – US President Joe Biden has announced his decision to extend the state of emergency, which was declared in the country almost two years ago, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has been causing significant risk to the public health.
(2022-02-19). UK teacher Kathleen Munro speaks of "devastating" effects of Long COVID. wsws.org In her testimony to the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kathleen bears witness to the devastating effects of Long COVID on her own health and livelihood, and that of her 13-year-old niece, Ellie, who caught COVID-19 on her first day at school last September.
(2022-02-19). [World Report] Medical aid returns to Tigray. thelancet.com Shipments of medical supplies have been delivered to Tigray—the first in months—but WHO says it will not be enough to restock the severely depleted health system. Sharmila Devi reports.
(2022-02-19). China highlights metaverse risks. rt.com 
The virtual space network is the primary target of scammers and fraudsters, regulator warns | The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission warned on Friday about the associated risks the emerging metaverse technology could bring as the virtual space fever sweeps the world. | The watchdog said in a statement published on its website that some companies were engaging in illegal fund-raising, fraud, and virtual real estate speculation. | "Beware of being duped, and if you find clues of suspected illegal crimes, please actively report this to the relevant local departments," it said. | The official warnin…
(2022-02-19). SF City Workers Fed Up With Low Staffing, Wages, Union Busting Privatization & Corruption. indybay.org Hundreds of San Francisco City workers rally to protest the low staffing, lack of wage increases, two tier union busting and systemic corruption by City officials and retaliation against whistlelblowers. Workers were also protesting the firing of workers for not taking the vaccine…
(2022-02-19). News on China | No. 87. dissidentvoice.org How a COVID outbreak in Hong Kong is being managed; a shift in Germany's position toward China, as it classifies China as a "systemic rival"; a look at relationships in China; Red Star over China author Edgar Snow passed away 50 years ago.
(2022-02-19). COVID-19 disaster intensifies across the Pacific. wsws.org COVID-19 numbers are escalating as Pacific island governments adopt the "living with the virus" policies put forward by capitalist elites globally.
(2022-02-19). California's "endemic plan" sets the stage for unending COVID-19 infections and deaths. wsws.org The propaganda campaign is driven not by science, but by the demands of the corporations and financial elite. The aim is to fabricate a narrative that COVID-19 is harmless, in order to maximize the production of profits under the guise of a "return to normalcy."
(2022-02-19). Australia Accuses Chinese Guided-Missile Destroyer of Aiming Laser at Its Surveillance Aircraft. sputniknews.com The incident comes amid strained ties between Australia and China over Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanding an international enquiry into the origins of COVID-19 and an ongoing trade war between the two nations. China, Australia's largest trading partner, is also unhappy about Canberra's membership of US-led alliances such as Quad and AUKUS.
(2022-02-18). First civilians evacuated from Donbass arrive in Russia's Rostov region. tass.com It was reported that temporary accommodation facilities would be put up at several healthcare and resort centers in the area…
(2022-02-18). Not Another U.S. War! Demo TOMORROW @3PM: Grand Central Terminal, NYC. iacenter.org DANGER! Not Another U.S. War! SATURDAY, February 19, 2022, at 3 PM Inside GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL, At the Clock, Park Avenue & East 42nd Street, NYC Stop the war with Russia Every U.S. war in our life time is based on lies, provocations and false flag operations. We need healthcare and education, not endless US wars. Stop the NATO expansion! Stop sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine, Poland, Romania and throughout the European Union. Fight Racism! Not Russia With participation from: Antiwar, social justice, anti-racist, environmental, human rights and veterans groups. An Emergency Action with activists from groups incl…
(2022-02-18). Headlines for February 18, 2022. democracynow.org Biden Claims Russia Is Plotting a "False Flag" Operation as Pretext for Ukraine Invasion, COVID-19 Cases Hit Record Highs in Asian Countries as Omicron Variant Surges, Donald Trump, Trump Jr. and Ivanka Ordered to Testify in New York Civil Fraud Probe, Florida Lawmakers Advance Bill to Ban Abortions After 15 Weeks, More Than a Quarter of World's Women Worldwide Have Experienced Domestic Violence, Haitian Sweatshop Workers Strike to Demand $15 a Day, Death Toll in Brazil Landslides Rises to 117, with 100+ Still Missing, Canadian Police Investigating Sabotage of Coastal GasLink Pipeline Worksite,…
(2022-02-18). Was the hacking of Ottawa trucker convoy donors a US-Canadian intelligence operation? thegrayzone.com Aubrey Cottle, the hacker claiming credit for stealing convoy donor info, has boasted of work with the FBI and Canadian law enforcement. The data was published by DDoSecrets, an anti-Wikileaks non-profit which has targeted states in the crosshairs of US intelligence. On February 13th, the names and personal details of almost 100,000 individuals who donated sums to support the Canadian truckers' protest against vaccine mandates through the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo appeared online via Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), an online …
(2022-02-18). Health experts declare Sri Lanka is being hit by a tsunami of Omicron infections. wsws.org President Rajapakse has made clear that his government will take no action to stem the rising number of Omicron infections.
(2022-02-18). Australia's state and federal governments lifting handful of remaining COVID restrictions. wsws.org Governments are implementing profit-driven policies identical to those that resulted in the Omicron explosion over December—January.
(2022-02-18). Germany's federal and state governments decide to scrap pandemic measures. wsws.org At the high point to date of the Omicron wave, the representatives of the German "traffic light" federal coalition government and the state minister presidents have agreed to eliminate all remaining restrictions apart from mask mandates in certain public places.
(2022-02-18). CDC Starts To Turn Against Mask Mandates: 7 Things To Know. moguldom.com Since the dawn of the covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised mask-wearing as an important way to combat the deadly virus. Now that guidance may be shifting, according to recent remarks from the agency's director. Here are seven things to know about the CDC changing course on mask mandates. …
(2022-02-18). CDC director spouts anti-mask rhetoric as thousands of Americans die daily. wsws.org Dr. Rochelle Walensky made the remarkable statement that people need a "break" from wearing masks even while she acknowledged more than 2,200 people are dying from COVID-19 every day.
(2022-02-18). A Republican Genocide of Quackery: COVID-19 has Killed as many Americans as all our Wars combined. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The CDC now estimates that there have been 1,045,389 excess deaths since January 1, 2020, because of COVID-19. PBS estimates that roughly 1,100,000 Americans have died in all US wars in history. That is, the death toll from COVID-19 is just about as great as the toll of all our …
(2022-02-18). Internal investigation launched after Florida infant injured while in police custody. wsws.org The brutal aggression meted out by Pensacola police against Joseph Marioneaux Jr. and his 1-year-old son is yet another episode in the unending epidemic of police violence in the United States.
(2022-02-18). Mine Workers, allies make the case against 'vulture capital' on Capitol Hill. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Providing evidence of huge pay cuts, lost pensions, high health care charges, finance-driven collusion and monopolies, and outright destruction of firms, families, and unions, the Mine Workers and their allies made the case on Capitol Hill against secretive unaccountable "vulture capital" hedge funds. Their poster boy for corporate greed: Three hedge funds, Apollo Global Management; …
(2022-02-18). Organizers demand justice for man killed by NYPD, expansion of resources for mental health. liberationnews.org 
The Party for Socialism and Liberation convened a speakout in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn after Eudes Pierre, a 26-year-old Black man, was shot 10 times and killed in the neighborhood by NYPD officers…
(2022-02-18). EU Chief Calls Patents "Precious" as Hundreds of Millions Lack Vaccine Access. truthout.org 
The head of the European Commission on Friday defended coronavirus-related intellectual property protections as "precious" after South Africa's president reiterated his support for a temporary patent waiver, arguing the step is necessary to ramp up vaccine production on the African continent. | Speaking at the E.U.-African Union summit in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued that instead of suspending vaccine-related intellectual property protections, world leade…
(2022-02-18). How We Turned The Tables On Starbucks Union-Busters. popularresistance.org Let me set the stage for you: A single cheese pizza cut into sixteenths, a small group of chairs awkwardly arranged to a circle, and corporate level managers trying to chat baristas up like we were best friends. | Our store had closed at noon that Tuesday, so that the company could hold four consecutive "store meetings," each with a group of around six employees. A few weeks before, five workers had to go into isolation due to Covid and the store had barely modified operating hours—but for these meetings we could shut down for almost the entire day. | These were Starbucks' "listening sessions," or corporate…
(2022-02-18). ICC throws out petition to investigate Evo Morales for crimes against humanity. peoplesdispatch.org Evo Morales described the ICC verdict as a "victory of truth over falsehood." Jeanine àÅñez's coup-installed government had blamed Morales and union and farmer leaders for COVID-19 deaths after the 2020 general strike…
(2022-02-18). New Zealand rail workers highlight unsafe conditions as COVID-19 surge continues. wsws.org While the media provides round-the-clock coverage of a small anti-vax protest outside New Zealand's parliament, there is growing anger and opposition to the Labour Party-led government's policy of allowing COVID-19 to spread.