(2020-03-28). [Perspectives] Leadership bid. thelancet.com The Perfect Candidate, director Haifaa Al-Mansour's second film based in Saudi Arabia, opens with a scene of an old man on a stretcher, bloodied and groaning after a collision with a truck brings him to the only emergency room in the area. Once the under-resourced clinic staff have heaved him through the only route into the building—a mud-clogged and flooded road—he opens his eyes to what for him is an even greater horror: the face of the only doctor qualified to treat him. Through her niqab, a pair of determined eyes examine him, as Dr Maryam expertly turns the patient's body to palpate his spine.
(2020-03-28). [World Report] Venezuelan migrants "struggling to survive" amid COVID-19. thelancet.com Humanitarian organisations are concerned that border closures and health-care shortages are amplifying the challenges posed by COVID-19. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.
(2020-03-28). [Correspondence] COVID-19 cacophony: is there any orchestra conductor? thelancet.com The first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently invading the world, and several countries are now struggling to fight it or trying to delay its start to help smooth its peak size for the purpose of lowering morbidity and mortality, and thereby reduce the overall tension on their health-care system. China's first major outbreaks of COVID-19 happened in January, 2020. Then South Korea, Iran, and Italy entered into this Ravel's Bolero-like epidemic in late February and early March, 2020, and many other countries are preparing to play the same rhythmic pattern in the coming days and weeks.
(2020-03-28). [Editorial] COVID-19: learning from experience. thelancet.com Over the past 2 weeks, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has marched relentlessly westward. On March 13, WHO said that Europe was now the centre of the pandemic. A few days later, deaths in Italy surpassed those in China. Iran and Spain had also reported over 1000 deaths as of March 23, and many other European countries and the USA reported increasing numbers of cases, heralding an imminent wave of fatalities. Following the sweep of COVID-19 is a series of dramatic containment measures that reflect the scale of the threat posed by the pandemic.
(2020-03-28). [Comment] Offline: COVID-19 and the NHS—"a national scandal" thelancet.com "When this is all over, the NHS England board should resign in their entirety." So wrote one National Health Service (NHS) health worker last weekend. The scale of anger and frustration is unprecedented, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the cause. The UK Government's Contain—Delay—Mitigate—Research strategy failed. It failed, in part, because ministers didn't follow WHO's advice to "test, test, test" every suspected case. They didn't isolate and quarantine. They didn't contact trace. These basic principles of public health and infectious disease control were ignored, for reasons that r…
(2020-03-28). [Perspectives] The suffragette surgeons of Endell Street. thelancet.com When war swept through Europe in August, 1914, more than 1000 medical men were mobilised with the British Army to France and several hundred more male doctors signed up to support the Allied war effort. Dozens of British women doctors volunteered their services too. On Aug 14, 1914, just 10 days after Britain declared war on Germany, the UK's Association of Registered Medical Women compiled a list of more than 60 members who declared themselves "willing to serve". Yet their help was bluntly declined.
(2020-03-28). [Editorial] Learning the lessons of Chernobyl: time is running out. thelancet.com Unit number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded on April 26, 1986, causing radiation injuries to hundreds of people within a couple of weeks. High levels of radiation affected clean-up workers (liquidators) involved in the emergency response, more than 500‚Äà000 liquidators involved in later decontamination and containment, and the general population in the surrounding Soviet states. 116‚Äà000 people were evacuated, 220‚Äà000 were permanently relocated, and a 30 km exclusion zone still exists around the plant.
(2020-03-28). [World Report] WHO launches crowdfund for COVID-19 response. thelancet.com For the first time, WHO is asking the general public and private donors for support. The project is a test run for the WHO Foundation, to be launched later this year. Ann Danaiya Usher reports.
(2020-03-28). [Editorial] Building on the PrEP victory. thelancet.com On March 15, the UK Department of Health and Social Care announced funding to make pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication available on the National Health Service in England for HIV prevention. This decision will be met, finally, with a sense of achievement by HIV activists and care providers, who have fought long and hard to make tenofovir-based PrEP drugs widely accessible in the UK, 8 years after the US Food and Drug Administration approved them and more than 4 years after WHO recommended their use for people at high risk of acquiring HIV.
(2020-03-28). [Perspectives] Despair, democracy, and the failures of American capitalism. thelancet.com A third of the children who used to ride the number 6 bus to school in Yamhill, OR, USA, in the 1970s died before their time, mostly by suicide or from drugs, alcohol, or reckless accidents. Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times, is one of the survivors. He recalls one family of five siblings, four of whom succumbed as adults: Farlan died of liver failure from drink and drugs; Rogena died of hepatitis linked to drug use; Zealan burned to death in a house fire while passed out drunk; and Nathan blew himself up cooking meth.
(2020-03-28). [World Report] PrEP finally approved on NHS in England. thelancet.com After years of wrangling, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention will finally be available on the National Health Service in England. Tony Kirby reports.
(2020-03-28). [Comment] Why WHO needs a feminist economic agenda. thelancet.com In September, 2019, Alan Donnelly and Ilona Kickbusch called for a chief economist at WHO.1 Such a position, they argued, would enable WHO to better advocate for greater recognition of, and thus action on, the interdependency of health and the economy. We support this proposal: recognition of the interdependence of health and the economy is vital for WHO to achieve its mandate: "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health…without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition".
(2020-03-28). [World Report] Leadership changes at USAID. thelancet.com Mark Green, the respected head of the US Agency for International Development, has resigned. Susan Jaffe reports from Washington.
(2020-03-28). [Comment] Reduction in global alcohol-attributable harm unlikely after setback at WHO Executive Board. thelancet.com A decision emerged after many hours of informal consultation at the WHO Executive Board in February, 2020, on the next steps for global governance of harmful use of alcohol. Clear evidence of increased alcohol consumption and attributable harm in many low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs),1 and predictions of more harm to come if effective policy is not adopted,2 led a group of representatives from LMICs to propose a working group "to review and propose the feasibility of developing an international instrument for alcohol control".
(2020-03-28). Trump's "Get back to work" demagogy aids the spread of the pandemic. wsws.org Amidst an expanding pandemic, which is still in its early stages, the Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to force a return to work, which would endanger the lives of millions of workers.
(2020-03-27). Fighting resumes in Libya amid efforts to stop coronavirus pandemic. rt.com 
Battles raged on several fronts in Libya on Friday after a night of heavy bombardment in Tripoli, Reuters reported, citing combatants and residents. After a comparative lull, serious warfare resumed this week despite international calls for calm to allow Libya's fragmented health system to prepare for any spread of the coronavirus. Libya confirmed its first case of the infectious disease on Monday. | The Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar has been assaulting Tripoli for nearly a year, hoping to capture the capital in the northwest where the internationally recognized Governmen…
(2020-03-27). 'Are those who bomb towns going to accuse us of terrorism?' Maduro rips US over 'narco-terrorism' charge. rt.com 
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro fired back at the US, which is offering a $15 million bounty for information leading to his arrest, dismissing the narco-terrorism charge as a smear to deflect attention from its coronavirus woes. | Maduro came out swinging after the US Justice Department, in an almost unprecedented move,
(2020-03-27). Coronavirus-inspired terrorists are planning attacks, says DoJ report — but in a fear-charged climate, which is the real threat? rt.com 
The US Justice Department has warned — with scant evidence — that coronavirus is encouraging terrorists to attack. But Covid-19 is actually deadlier than terrorism, and experts warn against criminalizing its transmission. | The pandemic is accelerating the dastardly plots of terrorists, according to John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security at the Justice Department, who shared his fears — and he has a lot of them — with Politico on Friday. Demers warned that terrorists would "take advantage of" certain "windows of opportunities," though he acknowledged that there…
(2020-03-27). Turkey evacuates hundreds of migrants from Greek border amid virus pandemic. rt.com 
Ankara has sent some 6,000 migrants waiting at the Turkish-Greek border to cross into the European Union to cities inside the country, Reuters reported on Friday, citing the Interior Ministry. The move was part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. | Migrants waiting at the border crossing in Edirne province were transported in buses to state guest houses where they would be quarantined, Anadolu news agency reported. They would be moved to other regions in Turkey at the end of the quarantine, it added. | Thousands of migrants had massed at a border crossing with European Union-member Greece after T…
(2020-03-27). How austerity and anti-immigrant politics left Italy exposed to viral blitzkrieg. peoplesworld.org 
As the viral blitzkrieg rolls across one European border after another, it seems to have a particular enmity for Italy. The country's death toll has far surpassed China's, and scenes from its hospitals look like something out of Dante's imagination. Why? Italy has the fourth-largest economy in the European Union, and in terms of health …
(2020-03-27). U.S. Is #1 in Pandemic: Rep. Omar Blasts Trump for "Wrong Kind of American Exceptionalism" democracynow.org 
As much of the United States is under lockdown, the House votes today on a $2 trillion emergency relief package to address the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. It will generate payments to most Americans and includes protections for workers, but it is also a massive bailout for a number of industries and corporations, and the vote comes as a record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits. We speak with Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the first Somali American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of the first Muslim women in Congress, about the bill, Trump's response t…
(2020-03-27). World economy has entered a recession 'as bad or worse' than the global financial crisis — IMF chief. rt.com 
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said it's "clear" that the global economy has "entered recession" due to the evolving Covid-19 pandemic, and that the organization is working on projections to assess how severe it will be. | Georgieva said she expects the recession to be "quite deep." Recovery is projected for 2021, but only if the virus can be contained, she said. | She said countries needed to step up their response measures aggressively, adding that the IMF has received a large number of requests for emergency financing. Georgieva said the international body has received pledges from Britain, Japan, and China…
(2020-03-27). MLB Opening Day 2020 at home; baseball jerseys material for PPE. peoplesworld.org 
There was an air of emptiness Thursday. With the entire world amiss during the Covid-19 pandemic, yesterday seemed even stranger—if you're a baseball fan that is. There were no crowds gathered at stadiums, no shimmering sunlight reflecting off players' sunglasses, and the fulfilling sounds of a wooden bat cracking, a ball sailing beyond second base, …
(2020-03-27). Washington cancels major Philippines maneuvers. rt.com 
The US military has canceled a large-scale exercise involving thousands of troops in the Philippines because of the coronavirus pandemic. | The decision to scrap Balikatan 2020 was taken "in light of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic and in the best interest of the health and safety of both countries' forces," AFP quoted US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Phil Davidson as saying. | The war games, scheduled for May 4-15, would have involved more than 10,000 troops from the two long standing allies and a smaller contingent from Australia. | The US troops who take part in Balika…
(2020-03-27). Could the Death of the National Security State be a Silver Lining of COVID-19? counterpunch.org 
Could something good come from the catastrophe of COVID-19? Might the epic insecurity of a plague teach us something about national security? Political scientist Micah Zenko calls the current pandemic "the worst intelligence failure in U.S. history." Former CIA analyst Melvin Goodman sees "the urgent need to redefine national security." Ilan Goldenberg, a former defense
(2020-03-27). When Home Isn't Safe: Shelter-in-Place Is Putting Domestic Violence Survivors in a "Dire Situation" democracynow.org 
As schools shut, public spaces close, and all but essential workers are ordered to stay indoors under shelter-in-place orders across the U.S. and globe, domestic violence services are scrambling to help vulnerable people navigate home lives that they say are increasingly unsafe during the pandemic. What happens when you're trapped at home with your abuser? "This is really a dire situation for a lot of victims across the country," says Katie Ray-Jones, chief executive officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect.
(2020-03-27). Italy's WORST day: Coronavirus death rate highest since start of outbreak with 900+ fatalities. rt.com 
Italy has experienced its worst day yet in the country's devastating coronavirus epidemic, with 919 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours — the highest single-day total since the pandemic began. | The highest-ever single-day spike in fatalities brought Italy's death toll to 9,134, a number that has long since surpassed the outbreak's original epicenter in China. Italy had 86,498 confirmed cases as of Friday, also exceeding China's numbers as Beijing has seen new infections all but flatline. | While single-day deaths in the country had been on the decline for several days, Friday's numbers show Italy is no…
(2020-03-27). COVID-19 and Circuits of Capital. mronline.org 
COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the second severe acute respiratory syndrome virus since 2002, is now officially a pandemic. As of late March, whole cities are sheltered in place and, one by one, hospitals are lighting up in medical gridlock brought about by surges in patients.
(2020-03-27). European stocks sink as spread of coronavirus explodes across continent. rt.com 
European markets opened significantly lower on Friday, ignoring all the stimulus pledges by governments this week, as the deadly Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread. Europe now accounts for more than half of global infections. | Britain's FTSE 100 is plummeting more than three percent during early trading in London. Stock markets in Germany and France are down over two percent. | The market fall comes as EU leaders fail to come to an agreement over the economic response to the coronavirus pandemic. During a video conference summit on Thursday, the leaders of the 27-member bloc argued over how to pull their e…
(2020-03-27). Italy yet to reach coronavirus contagion peak, national health chief warns, as 712 die in one day. rt.com 
Italy has yet to see the worst of the coronavirus pandemic spreading through the country, a senior health official has warned, a day after more than 700 people died in a single 24-hour period. | "We haven't reached the peak and we haven't passed it," the head of the Superior Health Institute, Silvio Brusaferro, told a press conference on Friday. He noted, however, that there were "signs of a slowdown" in the number of infections, suggesting that the health crisis could turn a corner soon. | Figures released on Thursday showed 712 new Covid-19 deaths, bringing the nationwide total to 8,215. | Brusaferro said th…
(2020-03-27). In light of the Global pandemic, focus attention on the people. mronline.org 
SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, now declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation, has begun to wreak havoc in large parts of the world, with other parts waiting in anticipation. We are in a real struggle, which needs total mobilisation; a struggle that needs to put life before profit.
(2020-03-27). "Total System Failure": Congress Pushes $2 Trillion Pandemic Bill. Will Dems Allow "Corporate Coup"? democracynow.org 
We continue our look at the massive $2 trillion coronavirus relief package — the largest stimulus bill in U.S. history — with author Matt Stoller, who argues the country will be unrecognizable after this pandemic if big corporations walk away with trillions of dollars and no strings attached. Stoller is research director at the American Economic Liberties Project and author of the book "Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy." His recent column for The Guardian is headlined "The coronavirus relief bill could turn into a corporate coup if we aren't careful."
(2020-03-27). Sinking global economy & cheap crude take big bite out of Russia's forex reserves. rt.com 
Russian gold and foreign currency holdings have shed almost $30 billion or more than five percent in one week in the biggest drop since the global financial crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic and crashing oil prices. | According to the latest data released by the country's central bank, the reserves stood at $551.2 billion as of March 20, down from $581 billion a week earlier. The regulator explained the decline with negative revaluation. | The nation's forex holdings faced almost a similar drop in October 2008, when the reserves shrank by $30.6 billion to $487 billion. Another steep decline occurred in the…
(2020-03-27). France's coronavirus death toll nears 2,000 as 300 more die in Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com 
The death toll from the Covid-19 outbreak has reached 1,996 in France after the country's health authorities confirmed that 299 more people have died there in a 24-hour period. | Announcing the latest fatalities on Friday evening, France's director-general of health also said that there have been a total of 32,964 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the state, up from 29,155 a day prior. | Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned of "very difficult" days ahead as the country sees a rise in cases, and said the government would extend a raft of nationwide restrictions aimed at curbing the s…
(2020-03-27). 'Disgrace we needed global pandemic': UK govt requests ALL homeless people be housed by weekend. rt.com 
The UK government has urged all local authorities in England to house all rough sleepers, those in hostels and night shelters by the weekend — leading many to ask why it takes a worldwide Covid-19 crisis to end homelessness. | According to Crisis — a charity for homeless people — a
(2020-03-27). Neither Biden Nor Trump: Imagine Cuomo. counterpunch.org 
The Trump presidency is mainly about enriching and glorifying Donald Trump. To that end, and in accord with his attitudes and dispositions, he has set about making America hate again — or, more precisely, a whole lot more than in the recent past. Thus, he has taken to calling the global pandemic caused by the
(2020-03-27). Why is the U.S. so Exceptionally Vulnerable to Covid-19? dissidentvoice.org 
The United States has become the new center of the global coronavirus pandemic, with over 86,000 cases, more than China or Italy. More than a thousand Americans have already died, but this is surely only the very beginning of this deadly collision between the U.S.'s uniquely inadequate public healthcare system and a real pandemic. On …
(2020-03-27). Democracy in Brazil would not be normal, Bolsonaro threatens. mronline.org 
The far-right president hints that a regime more authoritarian than Chile's Augusto Pinochet dictatorship could be the "price to pay" due to the "chaos" that the "small flu" triggers.
(2020-03-27). Iran records 144 new Covid-19 deaths as military sets up emergency 2,000-bed hospital in Tehran. rt.com 
Iran saw nearly 150 new fatalities from coronavirus, health officials disclosed on Friday. The country's military has deployed a makeshift hospital in Tehran as the Islamic Republic continues to battle the respiratory illness. | A health ministry official confirmed that Iran suffered 144 deaths from the previous day, pushing its death toll to 2,378. The Islamic Republic currently has 32,332 confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to a government tally. | The latest figures coincide with the creation of a makeshift hospital in the nation's capital. The Iranian military reportedly converted an exhibition center i…
(2020-03-27). 2 Florida poll workers test positive for coronavirus, elections office urges in-person voters to 'seek medical advice'. rt.com 
Local officials in Florida have advised some residents who cast ballots in the state's primary to see their doctors after two poll workers tested positive for Covid-19, despite authorities insisting there was no risk to voters. | The two election staffers manned separate polling stations in Broward County — Florida's second largest, with some 2 million residents — and were confirmed to carry the illness on Thursday, according to local authorities. | "County staff as well as other poll workers at those locations have been notified of the situation and have been advised to take appropriate steps," Brow…
(2020-03-27). The Coronavirus and the Real Threats to American Safety and Freedom. counterpunch.org 
Americans are facing "A Spring Unlike Any Before." So warned a front-page headline in the March 13th New York Times. That headline, however hyperbolic, was all too apt. The coming of spring has always promised relief from the discomforts of winter. Yet, far too often, it also brings its own calamities and afflictions. According to the
(2020-03-27). Vietnam aims to keep number of Covid-19 cases under 1,000 — govt. rt.com 
Vietnam is aiming to keep the number of coronavirus cases in the country under 1,000, the government said. The statement came as the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country passed 150 on Friday. | "We have been able to contain epicenters, and even potential epicenters… and we are determined to keep the number of COVID-19 cases from reaching 1,000," Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said. | Vietnam will limit domestic flights and stop public gatherings for two weeks from Saturday in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. | Hanoi has moved to bar entry to all foreigners, suspend inter…
(2020-03-27). Cat contracts coronavirus FROM sick owner in new case of human-to-animal transition. rt.com 
As scientists around the world battle for a cure or vaccine to Covid-19, a new case of human-to-animal transmission has arisen in Belgium, where health experts say a cat contracted the disease from its coronavirus-stricken owner. | Just one week after the pet owner in Liege, Belgium was diagnosed with Covid-19, their cat also started showing symptoms of the disease, including respiratory problems and diarrhea. | As panic over the outbreak keeps gaining ground, spokesman for Belgium's coronavirus crisis center, Emmanuel Andre, tried to reassure the public that the infected animal was an "isolated case." | "Ther…
(2020-03-27). US Congress approves $2.2 trillion stimulus bill, sends to White House. rt.com 
The US House has approved the mammoth $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed earlier this week by the Senate, sending the long-awaited relief package to President Donald Trump's desk for signing. | The bill sailed through the House with a voice vote despite an attempt by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) to force a roll-call poll. The pressing need to distribute immediate aid to individual Americans and small businesses starved for cash by coronavirus-related shutdowns appeared to override legislators' objections to various controversial provisions included in the massive legislative package. | Trump is…
(2020-03-27). God's Vengeance: the Christian Right and the Coronavirus. counterpunch.org 
Steven Andrew is pastor of the USA Christian Church in San Jose (CA) who warns, "Obeying God protects the USA from diseases, such as the coronavirus." He goes on, Bible thumping, "Our safety is at stake since national disobedience of God's laws brings danger and diseases, such as coronavirus, but obeying God brings covenant protection.
(2020-03-27). Wall Street stocks tumble as US overtakes China in highest number of Covid-19 infections. rt.com 
US markets dropped on Friday as the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a $2 trillion stimulus bill to contain the coronavirus spread. The US is now the worst-hit nation with more than 85,000 people infected. | The Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked more than 900 points at the opening, ending a three-day rally on Wall Street. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are also down around three percent. | The US Labor Department reported on Thursday a record number of jobless claims which surged to 3.28 million. The number eclipsed the Great Recession peak of 665,000 in March 2009 and the all-time…
(2020-03-27). 'Open your STUPIDLY abandoned plant': Trump lashes out at GM & Ford over ventilator delay. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has lost his patience with automakers who promised to produce ventilators to treat Covid-19 patients, threatening to invoke his emergency powers to force General Motors and Ford to live up to their pledge. | "They said they were going to give us 40,000 much needed Ventilators, 'very quickly,'" Trump tweeted on Friday. "Now they are saying it will only be 6000, in late April, and they want top dollar." | He added that it's "always a mess" with GM CEO Mary Barra, and that he will invoke the Defense Production Act, a piece of wartime legislation giving the president the power to order manuf…
(2020-03-27). UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests POSITIVE for Covid-19 infection. rt.com 
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for Covid-19 infection, experiencing mild symptoms. He will self-isolate in Downing Street but will remain in charge of the government. | "Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus," Johnson said. "I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via video-conference as we fight this virus." | It was not immediately clear when the prime minister was tested but various members of his staff had been working elsewhere when the news first emerged that he had tested positive. | #Sta…
(2020-03-27). Misinformation and the Coronavirus: On the Dangers of Depoliticization and Social Media. counterpunch.org 
Bill Gates created the coronavirus. China secretly developed it in a lab as a biological weapon. A cure exists and the government controls it, but won't release it to the public. The virus is no more dangerous than the seasonal flu. Coronavirus is a "fake news" hoax manufactured by the news. You can use hand
(2020-03-27). As coronavirus rages worldwide, U.S. now first in infections. peoplesworld.org 
In denial, Donald Trump continues to insist that America go back to work at the very moment that the U.S. tops the world in the number of coronavirus infections. He is hot to trot on doing what he calls a "county by county risk assessment" to determine allegedly "unaffected areas of the country" that can …