(2020-03-28). 'We will be where they are': LA mayor says he expects city to catch up with NYC on coronavirus in DAYS. rt.com 
A rush of Covid-19 patients will soon swarm Los Angeles' hospitals, the city's mayor warned, noting that a rapid rise in cases has put LA on track to eclipse New York City in under a week. | With California seeing a 26 percent spike in coronavirus patients on Friday alone, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said his city would likely be overwhelmed, with cases doubling every two days, pushing its medical facilities to breaking point. | "We will be where they are," Garcetti said, referring to NYC, the nation's hardest-hit city. "We will have doctors making excruciating decisions. We will be trying to figure out what we do…
(2020-03-28). 'Some people will die, that's life': Bolsonaro questions Covid-19 crisis, says deaths in Brazil exaggerated for political purposes. rt.com 
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has waved off the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, insisting that life goes on. He suggested the death toll in his own country has been overstated for political purposes. | The Brazilian leader has been locking horns with many of the country's governors, who have imposed bans on non-essential commerce and continue to accuse Bolsonaro of prioritizing the economy over the lives of his citizens. | "I'm sorry, some people will die, they will die, that's life," Bolsonaro said in an televised interview on Friday. "You can't stop a car factory because of traffic deaths." | He remarked…
(2020-03-28). WATCH Russian biodefense troops disinfect nursing home in coronavirus-hit Italy. rt.com 
Experts from Moscow's biodefense unit have been deployed at the epicenter of the deadly Covid-19 outbreak in Italy, tasked with disinfecting a nursing home where patients died amid the coronavirus pandemic. | A Russian military biological and chemical protection team was dispatched to the Martino Zanchi nursing home in the city of Bergamo in Italy's northern Lombardy region on Friday. | Going from room to room, anti-epidemic specialists in hazmat suits and respirators sprayed disinfectant on all furniture, including beds and mattresses. They also thoroughly disinfected floors, walls and ceilings because traces…
(2020-03-28). Worldwide number of Covid-19 cases exceeds 600,000 — Johns Hopkins University. rt.com 
The number of coronavirus cases around the world has reached 601,478, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, which also puts the global death toll at close to 28,000. | Cases in the United States have skyrocketed in recent days, as the country's 105,000 infections now make it the new epicenter of the pandemic. Although originating in Wuhan, Hubei province, China has managed to halt the spread of the disease, with no new locally transmitted infections recorded on Friday. | The number of cases in Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe, recently surpassed those in China. | Also on rt.com…
(2020-03-28). OneWeb files for bankruptcy, unable to secure financing amid coronavirus chaos. rt.com 
SpaceX rival OneWeb has filed for bankruptcy less than a week after launching another batch of internet satellites, as it failed to raise more funds for its program amid the Covid-19 pandemic. | The London-based venture, as well its affiliates, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday, saying that the proceedings are aimed at pursuing "a sale of its business in order to maximize the value of the company." | Since the beginning of the year, OneWeb had been trying to get more investment. The company says that is was close to obtaining the necessary financial support, but talks failed due to market turbulence tr…
(2020-03-28). 'We have many friends in the world': Italian FM says no ulterior motive to Russian Covid-19 aid, calls it 'act of solidarity'. rt.com 
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio brushed aside suggestions that aid from Moscow to combat the coronavirus pandemic came with hidden intentions, stating his country had nothing to fear from Russian assistance. | In an
(2020-03-28). Rouhani says Iran's healthcare system ready for Covid-19 peak as it sees more than 3,000 new infections. rt.com 
President Hassan Rouhani has said that Iran's medical infrastructure was prepared to overcome the zenith of the coronavirus pandemic, as the country recorded more than 3,000 new cases and nearly 140 new deaths. | The Iranian leader expressed confidence in his country's ability to cope with a possible peak in Covid-19 cases during televized remarks on Saturday. He described Iran's medical facilities and personnel as "strong," and predicted that the crisis could come to an end in a few weeks. | Rouhani's remarks came as Iran's health ministry confirmed 3,076 new infections, bringing the national total to 35,408.
(2020-03-28). Russian military support 'much needed' in Italy's 'critical' battle against Covid-19 — Lombardy VP. rt.com 
Russian help is "very much needed" in Italy's ongoing battle against the Covid-19 virus, the VP of the Lombardy region Fabrizio Sala has said, as the country recorded its worst yet single-day spike in fatalities. | Sala said on Friday that the presence of Russia's military in Italy proves that the pandemic has become "a problem for the whole world" and that its scale indicates that countries "need to combine our efforts" and work "side-by-side" to beat it, according to a statement released by Russia's Defense Ministry. | A contingent of 100 Russian military personnel arrived in Italy at the weekend after Rome…
(2020-03-28). Covid-19 cases in Germany surge 6,294 in one day as death toll hits 325. rt.com 
The number of coronavirus cases in Germany has surged by 6,294 in one day to nearly 50,000, while the death toll jumped by 72 to 325. | The Robert Koch Institute announced a fresh round of alarming statistics on Saturday morning, showing that a total of 48,582 people in Germany are confirmed carriers of the virus. | The federal agency, which is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, said that 325 people have died after testing positive for the illness. The figure represents an increase of 72 from Friday's tally and it is based on data collected up until midnight on Friday. | The spike in ca…
(2020-03-28). 'No new patients until release': WATCH staff protest KIDNAPPING of Haiti hospital chief as Covid-19 takes root in country. rt.com 
The chief surgeon and director at one of Haiti's major hospitals was kidnapped on his way into work, triggering protests from the facility's staff, who have refused to take any new patients until the doctor is freed. | The surgeon, Dr Jerry Bitar, was abducted soon after leaving his home for the Bernard Mevs hospital in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince on Friday, an administrator at the facility told Reuters. Crowds gathered outside the hospital to demand Bitar's release, chanting slogans and declining treatment for any new arrivals. | "Hospital staff decided not to take any new cases for the time being," sai…
(2020-03-28). Wuhan reopens subway, allows incoming traffic as it phases out 2-month coronavirus lockdown (PHOTOS). rt.com 
The metro in Wuhan, the city where the deadly Covid-19 virus is believed to have originated, has opened its doors to 11 million residents after two months of lockdown. Trains are arriving in the city as life returns to normal. | On Saturday, several subway lines in Wuhan welcomed their first passengers after a 65-day hiatus brought about by the coronavirus outbreak, which has since spread to most of the planet. The number of those infected is nearing 600,000 worldwide. | Some 184 metro stations, equipped with thermal scanners, opened for commuters, who will still have to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
(2020-03-28). In 2009 UK government experts wildly over-hyped dangers of swine flu — is history repeating with Covid-19? rt.com 
Amidst the coronavirus lockdown, some of the claims of governments and media have been shown to be exaggerated. Ten years ago, they tried the same thing with swine flu. They haven't learned their lessons — has the public? | On Wednesday, RT
(2020-03-28). India sees its biggest daily jump in Covid-19 cases as number of infected nears 900. rt.com 
India's confirmed coronavirus cases tally hit 873 on Saturday after the country went into a three-week quarantine in the hope of stopping the spread of the deadly Covid-19 disease. | An additional 149 people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases nationwide to 873, India's Health Ministry said on Saturday. This is the biggest single-day increase the country has seen since the beginning of the outbreak. | India has remained among the states with a relatively low number of officially-reported infections and deaths from the coronavirus. A total of 19 people have died as of Saturday.
(2020-03-28). Big Tech teams up with White House to battle Covid-19 — and spy on us all. rt.com 
Governments and scientists alike agree that 'tracking' is a key strategy for containing the coronavirus. It is now clear they intend to do so using technology like smartphones, a move that raises concerns about privacy, however. | Both US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence made sure to mention the 'Covid-19 Screening Tool' app developed by Apple at their daily press briefing on Friday. According to the White House, the app "guides users through questions about symptoms and exposure," using guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "to help determine steps they should…
(2020-03-28). Spain suffers another record day for Covid-19 deaths as 832 perish. rt.com 
Spain has recorded another record breaking day for Covid-19 deaths as 832 people died from the disease in 24 hours and the number of cases surged by over 8,000. | Spanish health officials announced on Saturday morning that 5,690 people have now died from the coronavirus in the Mediterranean country and a total of 72,248 people have contracted the illness. | The figure represents an increase of 8,189 confirmed cases on Friday's total. | While the shocking statistics are a further reminder of the threat the virus poses they offer evidence that the rate of infection has slowed in Spain. | The jump in cases is a 1…
(2020-03-28). Coronavirus testing to begin for some NHS staff. thecanary.co 
Coronavirus (COVID-19) tests for NHS frontline staff are to be trialled this weekend. These are part of a wider roll-out to help those given the all-clear from the disease to return to work. The move comes after prime minister Boris Johnson tested positive for coronavirus and has gone into self-isolation.Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the government was working in a "new alliance" with universities, businesses and researchers to boost testing capacity. A total of 759 people have already died in UK hospitals after being diagnosed with coronavirus. Meanwhile, 113,777 have tested positive and hundreds of thousan…
(2020-03-28). First train with medical supplies for Europe leaves Wuhan as China eases Covid-19 lockdown. rt.com 
Beijing has resumed its railway freight service between Wuhan and Europe by delivering medical aid to Germany as authorities work to lift strict quarantine measures after the number of new cases Covid-19 dropped. | A train loaded with medical supplies and construction materials has left a station in Wuhan, the capital city of China's central Hubei Province, and is set to arrive in the city of Duisburg in Germany in two weeks, Chinese outlet the Global Times reported on Saturday. The delivery will be the first China-EU cargo freight operation from Wuhan since the city was placed under strict quarantine in Janua…
(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). Fears grow that coronavirus is taking hold among immigrants in US custody as three children test positive. wsws.org Adult and child detainees living in cramped quarters, herded into cafeterias and denied basic sanitation are facing the very real possibility of an escalated rate of contagion.
(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] 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). [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). [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). [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). [Commentary] A systems approach to preventing and responding to COVID-19. thelancet.com A novel zoonotic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a pandemic of respiratory infection [1,2]. COVID-19 has provoked restrictive infection control measures, social and economic disruption, and expressions of racism [3]. Systems thinking can help policymakers understand and influence the spread of infection and its multifaceted consequences across the community since society is itself a complex adaptive system [4]. It can provide a framework to look beyond the chain of infection and better understand the multiple implications of decisions and (in)actions in face of such a complex situation involving many inte…
(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). [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). [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). [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). [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). [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). [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). Vigil for Peace in Yemen, a New Norm. zcomm.org Particularly now, with intense focus on U.S. health care, it's timely to recognize that in the past five years U.S. supported Gulf Coalition airstrikes bombed Yemen's health care facilities 83 times…
(2020-03-28). Webinar: Coronavirus: Time to End US Sanctions on Iran. indybay.org Online webinar via ZOOM…
(2020-03-28). Webinar: Decarceration in the time of COVID – 19 with Ivette Ale from JusticeLA. indybay.org Online event…
(2020-03-28). Kroger warehouse workers walk out in Memphis over coronavirus concerns. wsws.org About 400 Kroger warehouse workers in Memphis walked off their jobs yesterday to protest mind-numbing work shifts of up to 96 hours a week and unsafe working conditions as COVID-19 spreads through the state of Tennessee.
(2020-03-28). DOJ Seeks to Exploit Coronavirus Emergency to Detain People Indefinitely. zcomm.org Throughout U.S. history, presidents have exploited national emergencies to exceed their constitutional powers…
(2020-03-28). UK health care assistant: "There's a fear that if we are tested for COVID-19, most of us will come back positive and the NHS will collapse" wsws.org A senior health care assistant spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about his experiences at work during the coronavirus pandemic.
(2020-03-28). University of California graduate students need a socialist political strategy. wsws.org Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, striking University of California graduate students must turn out to the working class in a political struggle for trillions for public health, decent living standards, and public education for all.
(2020-03-28). In a Plague Year, Trump Ratchets up Tensions with Iran and Iraq. zcomm.org Trump can continue his "maximum pressure campaign" against Iran and face continued Iraqi attacks on US troops. Or he can back off to focus on domestic concerns and avoid a wider war…
(2020-03-28). No Mercy even in a Pandemic. zcomm.org Israeli Occupation Authorities Demolish Makeshift Field Hospital in Palestinian Hamlet…
(2020-03-28). Medical journal editor-in-chief slams NHS bosses, saying they could have prevented 'chaos and panic'. thecanary.co NHS bosses could have prevented "chaos and panic" in a system left "wholly unprepared for this pandemic", Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of British medical journal the Lancet, has said. | Horton wrote in the Lancet that numerous warnings were issued to the NHS but these were not heeded. He cited an example from his journal on 20 January, pointing to a global epidemic: Preparedness plans should be readied for deployment at short notice, including securing supply chains of pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment, hospital supplies and the necessary human resources to deal with the consequences of a global ou…
(2020-03-28). A Reflection on Trump the War President. zcomm.org Trump is a 'true believer' that the market solves everything and immediately. Just wave the magic market wand and it will appear…
(2020-03-28). US teachers speak out on the coronavirus epidemic. wsws.org Teachers across the country spoke on the impact the epidemic is having on education and the way forward.
(2020-03-28). Detroit mayor confirms denial of treatment to "extremely sick" patients: "What they put out is honest" wsws.org One ICU nurse at a local hospital posted a video to social media from her car in tears as she described the COVID unit in her hospital saying that "it felt like I was working in a war zone."
(2020-03-28). Big business in South Korea exploits pandemic to carry out massive assault on jobs. wsws.org The trade unions are aiding the government and corporations use the health crisis to implement deeper attacks on the working class.
(2020-03-28). G20 Emergency Meeting Convenes on Coronavirus Health and Economic Impacts. indybay.org Saudi Arabia chaired an emergency virtual G20 meeting for Presidents and Prime Minsters as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the global economy.
(2020-03-28). COVID-19 pandemic spells no truce in US imperialism's global aggression. wsws.org Far from declaring a humanitarian truce as COVID-19 threatens the lives of millions, Washington has sought to weaponize the death and disruption spread by the disease.
(2020-03-28). UK government buried 2016 report exposing catastrophic NHS failings during flu pandemic. wsws.org Exercise Cygnus has been buried for years for fear it would give rise to demands for an end to health care cuts.