(2022-02-23). Omicron is proving to be deadly serious for children in the US. wsws.org According to the CDC data tracker, pediatric COVID deaths have doubled since November 2021, underscoring the deadly consequences from all variants of the SARS-CoV-2 for this population.
(2022-02-23). COVID deaths and hospital admissions on the rise in Germany. wsws.org While the federal and state governments claim there is a "break in the Omicron wave" and continue to ease protective measures, hospitalisations and deaths are on the rise.
(2022-02-23). COVID surge accelerates in New Zealand. wsws.org As Omicron cases and hospitalisations reach record numbers, far-right, anti-vaccination groups continue to dominate media coverage and receive support and encouragement from capitalist politicians.
(2022-02-23). Pharma Front Group To Sinema: "We Have Your Back" dailyposter.com 
(2022-02-23). Venezuela reports 701 New COVID-19 Cases and 7 Deaths on Monday. orinocotribune.com 
This Monday, February 21, Venezuelan health authorities reported 701 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours. Of these, 697 were due to community transmission and 4 imported. In addition, seven deaths were reported. This was announced by the Minister of Communication and Information, Alfred Nazareth àëáñez, via Twitter. | With this update, Venezuela has reached a total of 511,772 infections and 5,616 deaths after almost two years of the pandemic. Of these, 10,417 represent active cases, 9,328 receiving treatment in public healthcare centers (5,836 with Supervised Community Care) and 1,089 in private hos…
(2022-02-23). CA SEIU Tops Pushing Union Busting 2 Tier "Non-Profits" Like HealthRight360 Harming Workers. indybay.org Top SEIU California officials are pushing a statewide privately run "non-profit" health system called HealthRight 360 which is undermining thousands of SEIU public healthcare workers. They are supporting a two tier healthcare system with lower wages and benefits than those in the public sector. They are doing the same work as public worker with lower pay, benefits and rights.
(2022-02-23). Australia: The way forward for New South Wales nurses. wsws.org Rank-and-file committees must be formed to fight for the unification of all workers in an industrial and political struggle for real improvements to pay, safe working conditions, a high-quality public health system and an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2022-02-23). People's Rally for Healthcare in Oakland at Lake Merritt. indybay.org Oakland Mayor and candidates continue fight for single payer healthcare…
(2022-02-23). WIZARDS, PLAGUES, AND SNIFFLES (THE MAGICIAN WHO TURNED A PANDEMIC INTO THE COMMON COLD)—. indybay.org (THE MAGICIAN WHO TURNED A PANDEMIC INTO THE COMMON COLD)—A Parable…
(2022-02-23). J'Accuse! The Gene-based "Vaccines" Are Killing People. Governments Worldwide Are Lying to You the People, to the Populations They Purportedly Serve. globalresearch.ca The Signal of Harm is now indisputably overwhelming, and, in line with universally accepted ethical standards for clinical trials, Doctors for Covid Ethics demands that the 'Covid' vaccine programme be halted immediately.
(2022-02-23). Dozens of US colleges and universities end efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. wsws.org The drive to end all mitigation measures and normalize mass infection and death in perpetuity is being pursued by both Democratic and Republican politicians alike.
(2022-02-23). Mexico's economy struggles to bounce back after pandemic recession. america.cgtn.com 
As countries around the world seek to bounce back from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing mixed results.
(2022-02-23). Southern US teachers discuss the fight to eliminate COVID-19 and stop the threat of war. wsws.org Teachers across the southern US met Sunday to discuss the coverup of the pandemic and the threat of war with Russia.
(2022-02-23). Headlines for February 23, 2022. democracynow.org U.S. Imposes Sanctions, Ukraine Calls for Stronger Action After Russian Recognition of Breakaway Areas, Jury Finds Ahmaud Arbery's 3 Murderers Guilty of Federal Hate Crimes, Trial for Ex-Cop Brett Hankison, Who Shot into Breonna Taylor's Home During Fatal Raid, Starts in KY, U.N. Report Warns of Climate Disaster-Fueled "Global Wildfire Crisis", Mining Companies, Foreign Investors Driving Destruction of Amazon, Violation of Indigenous Rights, Hong Kong to Conduct Mass COVID Testing on Entire Population; U.K. Removes All Pandemic Restrictions, Israeli Forces Kill 14-Year-Old Palestinian; Isr…
(2022-02-23). Perpetual Tyranny: Endless Wars Are the Enemy of Freedom. mintpressnews.com Two years after COVID-19 shifted the world into a state of global authoritarianism, just as the people's tolerance for heavy-handed mandates seems to have finally worn thin, we are being prepped for the next distraction and the next drain on our economy.
(2022-02-23). Bipartisan congressional war consensus emerges, bringing together progressive "left" and Republican right. wsws.org The emerging ruling class consensus is part of an attempt by the Biden administration to effect a new "national unity," particularly aimed at distracting from growing inflation and a daily US COVID-19 death toll of over 2,000 people.
(2022-02-22). Gridlocked: The Freedom Convoy and the New Canadian Populism. dissidentvoice.org Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, a popular movement demanding an immediate end to vaccine mandates and other restrictions on daily life has shaken the Canadian state to its core. Its calls have deeply resonated with members of settler-colonial society in which public health measures and other forms of collective solidarity are seen by some …
(2022-02-22). Who's Behind The 'People's Convoy' To Washington DC? popularresistance.org Thousands of truckers are being hijacked by anti-vax loonies and encouraged to parade through red state America in search of any remaining Covid-19 restrictions to protest. The so-called "People's Convoy" is scheduled to leave Barstow, California, on Wednesday, February 23, and meander eastward, picking up truckers as they go for a final jamboree and road-blocking in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 — the day of Joe Biden's first State of the Union address. | Are these the same organizers that brought us Canada's "Freedom Convoy," blocking the streets of the capital, Ottawa, for weeks and blocking…
(2022-02-22). Latinus and MCCI Smear Campaign Against AMLO—Part of the Soft Coup. orinocotribune.com By Nancy Flores and Érika Ramírez — Feb 22, 2022 | The smear campaign recently launched against López Obrador by Latinus—a media outlet financed by Roberto Madrazo's family, pharmaceutical companies, and actors close to Claudio X González—and MCCI [Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity] should be understood as an element of the larger soft-coup strategy promoted by politicians and business persons from the opposition. For Dr. Patricia Pozos Rivera, it is very likely that, as the 2024 elections draw nearer, the media will intensify its attacks against the president. | Financed by business inter…
(2022-02-22). US Centers for Disease Control withheld critical statistics on COVID-19 for more than a year. wsws.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has kept back large volumes of essential data on the pandemic that state and local public health departments could have used to save lives and reduce infections.
(2022-02-22). Johnson government adopts "dying with COVID" strategy for the UK. wsws.org The super-rich view any public health response to the pandemic as a state-subsidised interruption of the flow of profits, which must end. Their "new normal" does not mean doing away with the virus, but with the victims of the virus who will be forcibly exposed in their workplaces.
(2022-02-22). Colombia decriminalizes elective abortion in milestone ruling. peoplesdispatch.org 
In a milestone ruling on February 21, the Constitutional Court of Colombia, with five votes in favor and four against, decriminalized abortion during the first 24 weeks of gestation. The decision was hailed by feminist movements and women's rights organizations across the country, who had been fighting for this integral human right for decades. | Previously, Colombia permitted abortion in three conditions: when the life or health of a woman was at risk due to pregnancy, when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest, and when there was a malformation of fetus that prevents life after birth. On Monday, the Co…
(2022-02-22). Glenn Greenwald: The Neoliberal War on Dissent in the West. scheerpost.com 
Police in Canada deployed to dislodge the final truckers and protesters from downtown Ottawa, aimed at bringing an end to three weeks of demonstrations over Covid-19 health rules. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP) (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images) | By Glenn Greenwald / When it comes to dis…
(2022-02-22). Remembering Dr. Paul Farmer: A Public Health Pioneer Who Helped Millions from Haiti to Rwanda. democracynow.org 
We remember the life and legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer, a public health icon who spent decades building community health networks helping millions of poor people in Haiti, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and beyond. He died unexpectedly Monday at the age of 62. We feature Farmer's past interviews with Democracy Now! and speak with his longtime colleague, Dr. Joia Mukherjee. Farmer leaves behind a remarkable legacy and an "enormous community of people that he brought to this large table that is now global health," says Mukherjee, chief medical officer for Partners In Health, where she worked with Farmer for 23…
(2022-02-22). Paul Farmer Leaves Behind the Legacy of a Global Public Health Movement. truthout.org 
Image Credit: Twitter: @PIH | We remember the life and legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer, a public health icon who spent decades building community health networks helping millions of poor people in Haiti, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and beyond. He died unexpectedly Monday at the age of 62. We feature Farmer's past interviews with Democracy Now! and speak with his longtime colleague, Dr. Joia Mukherjee. Farmer leaves behind a remarkable legacy and an "enormous community of people that he brought to this large table…
(2022-02-22). Headlines for February 22, 2022. democracynow.org Putin Orders Russian "Peacekeepers" into Ukraine Separatist Regions, U.N. Rebukes Russia over Violations of Ukraine's Territorial Integrity, Florida Senate Advances Bill to Ban Nearly All Abortions After 15 Weeks, Colombia Legalizes Abortion During First 24 Weeks of Pregnancy, Dominican Republic Begins Construction of High-Tech Border Wall with Haiti, Dr. Paul Farmer, Who Brought Free, Quality Healthcare to World's Poorest, Dies at 62, Mali's Military Rulers Cement Hold on Power, Leak Reveals Credit Suisse Ties to Dictators, Torturers and Organized Crime, Wildfires Burn Nearly 2 Mill…
(2022-02-22). Biden Extends National Emergency as States Ease Restrictions. telesurenglish.net More states and major cities across the U.S. are lifting their vaccination and mask mandates as the rate of COVID-19 infections drops, but health experts have warned dropping pandemic protocols too soon may worsen the spread of the virus. | RELATED: | California, the most populous U.S. state, unveiled a milestone plan last week, as Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state would become the first in the nation to treat the coronaviru…
(2022-02-22). Black health amid the COVID-19 pandemic. america.cgtn.com 
It's Black History Month in the U.S. This year's theme, as designated by one African American research organization is Black health and wellness. It's a long-standing and critically important issue, one that's received a lot of attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2022-02-22). Has Elizabeth Truss Decided to Help Washington Enrich itself at the Expense of Afghanistan? journal-neo.org 
At the end of December 2021, the Biden administration, in another of its now blatantly false propaganda campaigns, tried to convince the world of the supposedly "humane treatment of the people of Afghanistan." It should be recalled that at the time the matter concerned the delivery of one million doses of coronavirus vaccine produced by …
(2022-02-22). Richland, Wa. school board defies COVID regulations; community fights back. liberationnews.org 
On Feb. 15, the School Board of Richland, Washington voted to make masks optional for students and staff, in violation of Washington's statewide mask mandate.
(2022-02-22). Richland, Wash., school board defies COVID regulations, community fights back. liberationnews.org On Feb. 15, the School Board of Richland, Washington voted to make masks optional for students and staff, in violation of Washington's statewide mask mandate.
(2022-02-22). Indiana Communists make ending mass incarceration a key area of work. peoplesworld.org 
The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over for those who are incarcerated. The coronavirus mortality rate in prisons is more than double that of the general population of the United States. The increase in death may continue to escalate as both the state and federal corrections departments fail to implement policies to alleviate the unsafe …
(2022-02-22). Damning Auditor General report exposes failure of Canada's government to protect migrant farm workers from COVID-19. wsws.org The report is yet another exposure of the fraudulent "pro-migrant" pretensions of the Trudeau government, which has enabled big business to make massive profits during the pandemic while workers get sick and die from COVID-19.
(2022-02-22). Mask Mandates Lift While Uncertainty About New Subvariant BA.2 Hangs in the Air. truthout.org 
As the world crouches in anticipation of whatever fresh hell is preparing to jump from the Russia/Ukraine border, some seem to have forgotten that COVID-19 is not yet over. There have been more than 28,000 COVID deaths in the U.S. over the last two weeks, and more than 1.2 million new infections over that same span. The fact that this represents significant progress in the fight against the virus only underscores the horror of the body count. Were this pandemic a shooting war, those number…
(2022-02-22). Queen Elizabeth II Cancels Virtual Engagements For This Week After Positive COVID Test. sputniknews.com The 95-year-old monarch, who has reportedly been vaccinated three times, received the positive test last week. It came after Queen Elizabeth met with her son and heir to the throne Prince Charles, who also tested positive for COVID-19. Royal officials said the monarch is experiencing mild symptoms.
(2022-02-22). "It's certainly not over" warns Imperial academic as COVID-19 restrictions lift. imperial.ac.uk As the UK Government announces an end to all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, a leading Imperial expert has warned the pandemic is not over.