(2020-04-12). Cuba — The Endless Cruelty of US Sanctions — The US Intercepts Chinese Medical Supplies to Cuba. globalresearch.ca Background | Cuba complained recently that a shipment of test kits, masks and respirators, donated by the Chinese Alibaba group, didn't arrive because the American company tasked with transportation feared breaching U-S sanction rules. Washington imposed an embargo on Cuba in …
(2020-04-12). Venezuela Announces 6-month Rent Suspension, Guarantees Workers' Wages, Bans Lay-offs. globalresearch.ca The Venezuelan government announced a series of measures on Sunday in attempts to protect the population from the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis. | Speaking on a live televised address, President Nicolás Maduro instructed that all commercial and residential rent, …
(2020-04-12). Politicians, media support lifting sanctions on Iran, but not Venezuela. zcomm.org The United States has announced it is sending Navy ships to the Venezuelan coast, ostensibly to beef up counter-narcotics operations…
(2020-04-12). Migrant Workers Are Essential Workers and Must Be Included in Coronavirus Relief. truthout.org The coronavirus pandemic has inspired critical discussions about which companies deserve government support and who constitutes an essential worker. Yet, there is a vital population of more than 1.6 million people who have been disregarded as a group worthy of protections: temporary foreign workers. | These workers in large part perform the types of jobs that have been deemed "essential" during this health crisis. As you read this, they are harvesting and preparing our food and providing…
(2020-04-12). The | 'invisible enemy': What COVID-19 does to your body. yenisafak.com The world is on red alert against an unseen enemy, the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 1.77 million since its emergence in China's Wuhan in December.With a microscopic enemy in full swing, over half of the world's population has been ordered to stay indoors and maintain social distancing, while scientists have ramped up studies on treatments and vaccines to halt the spread of the respiratory disease.Scientific designer and animator Avesta Rastan detailed the effects COVID-19 has on our lungs, revealing the mechanics behind how the virus causes pneumonia in its victims, in a chart publish…
(2020-04-12). India's coronavirus tally tops 8,000. yenisafak.com A further 34 deaths from coronavirus were recorded in India in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 273, authorities announced Sunday.The total number of COVID-19 cases in the South Asian country has risen to 8,356, according to the Ministry of Health.India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world. As per figures by the Indian Council of Medical Research, 179,374 samples from 164,773 individuals have been processed as of April 11. It has a population of over 1.3 billion. There are reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering to extend the 21-day lockdown imposed on March 25. Since…
(2020-04-12). Turkey to penalize violators of coronavirus curfew. yenisafak.com In a statement, the ministry said a total of 18,770 people had so far violated the restrictions, and were subject to "administrative and procedural penalties." The specifics of the penalties were not mentioned.The weekend curfew, effective from Friday at midnight for 48 hours in 31 provinces, however, is being largely followed. Turkey has a population of 82 million.Besides, the government has restricted the movement of those under age 20, and above 65. While schools, malls, cafes and restaurants remain closed, almost all gatherings, including congregational prayers, have been suspended. | It confirmed 95 more fat…
(2020-04-12). Online Sermons, Feasts at Home: Indian Christians Miss Holy Communion This Easter. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Christians comprise 2.3 percent of the population of India, which is home to multiple religions and ethnicities. But the coronavirus pandemic has dampened the spirit of the long-awaited Easter holiday as the country is under lockdown and social gatherings are prohibited.
(2020-04-11). Colombia's government acts like a doormat for the United States—and its people aren't going along with it. mronline.org 
With the U.S. government now absurdly saying that Venezuela is the source of narco-trafficking, even though all evidence pointing to narco-trafficking is rooted in Colombia, the pressure on Colombia to deal with its drug problem is now lifted.
(2020-04-11). [Comment] Centring sexual and reproductive health and justice in the global COVID-19 response. thelancet.com Global responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are converging with pervasive, existing sexual and reproductive health and justice inequities to disproportionately impact the health, wellbeing, and economic stability of women, girls, and vulnerable populations. People whose human rights are least protected are likely to experience unique difficulties from COVID-19.1 Women, girls, and marginalised groups are likely to carry a heavier burden of what will be the devastating downstream economic and social consequences of this pandemic.
(2020-04-11). Venezuela Donates COVID-19 Tests to Caribbean Countries. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez reported Friday that the Bolivarian Government donated rapid and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests to several Caribbean countries to help them in the fight against COVID-19. | RELATED: | Rodríguez said that, by order of President Nicolas Maduro, tests were sent to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua, and Barbuda, as well as Dominica and Grenada. | "To our brothers in…
(2020-04-11). St. Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada Thank Venezuela for Donations. telesurenglish.net Saint Vincent & the Grenadines RELATED: | "We have received 3,000 rapid test kits for the COVID-19 and a relevant quantity of reagents for the PCR test,"
(2020-04-11). Cuban Doctors Arrive in Angola to Train 1500 Health Technicians. telesurenglish.net Angola's Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta informed that 1,500 health technicians will be trained by Cuban doctors in matters of family medicine for community epidemiological surveillance. | RELATED: | "The training will take place at Girassol Hospital… because it has excellent simulators for practical classes, which is an indispensable condition," local outlet SAPO reported. | With that training, "Angolan doctors will…
(2020-04-10). Interview with Italian communists on COVID-19 impact and the working class. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviews Guido Salza, the head of the International Relations Department of the Italian communist organization Fronte Popolare. | Fight Back!: How are the working people of Italy being impacted by the pandemic? | Guido Salza: A clear picture of the dynamics of the infection are not yet apparent. However, it is likely that the working class is paying the highest price. Similar to what happened in China, COVID has spread very fast in the most industrial areas of our country. The more concentrated the production and population are (as it is in Lombardia, Piemonte, Veneto and Emilia Romagna), the more t…
(2020-04-10). Phantoms of "The Operation" dissidentvoice.org Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind. — Shakespeare, King Lear Many thousands of New Yorkers have temporarily moved into the small Massachusetts town (permanent population approximately 7,000) where I live because of fear and panic created by fraudulent disease and death data gathered and disseminated under the umbrella term Covid-19. Such deceitful, …
(2020-04-10). New York Homeless People Is Unprotected Against the Pandemic. telesurenglish.net In New York City, the homeless population is facing the COVID-19 pandemic without governmental guarantees, no sanitary assistance, and no appropriate shelters. | RELATED: | In January 2020, there were 62,679 homeless people, including 14,682 families with 22,013 children, all of them depending on the NYC shelters to spend the night. ‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã‚Äã&…
(2020-04-10). Cuba: Government Implements New Measures to Prevent COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Cuba's Transport Minister Eduardo Rodriguez decided to suspend public and private passenger transportation within urban and rural areas. However, institutions offering essential services must guarantee the mobility of their workers.. | RELATED: | Private carriers would have their operating license suspended and are free from tax payment until the restrictions cease. Means of transportation contracted by the Defense Councils fo…
(2020-04-10). Cuban Medical Science in the Service of Humanity. counterpunch.org By 21 March, Cuba had sent healthcare professionals to 37 countries to collaborate in combating the pandemic. Italy received 53 Cuban medics who had previously worked in West Africa during the deadly Ebola outbreak of 2014. Cuba also stepped into the breach in mid-March when a cruise ship with over 600 mostly British passengers and
(2020-04-10). Cuban Development of Biomedical High Technology. counterpunch.org As the United States and the nations of Europe experience the sad tragedy of an uncontrolled pandemic, they for the most part have not noticed the well-organized and coherent plan of the Cuban government against Covid-19, being carried out with the determined and patriotic support of the people; nor the availability of a Cuban created
(2020-04-10). Colombia's Gustavo Petro Diagnosed with Cancer. telesurenglish.net Senator Gustavo Petro, one of the most prominent leftist leaders of the Colombian government, said Friday that he was recently diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. | RELATED: | "I decided to travel to Cuba to complete health tests, and they diagnosed on March 2, an early stage of cancer of the lining between the esophagus and stomach," Petro confirmed. | Petro, who lost the presidential elections in 2018 against i…
(2020-04-09). Colonialism & coronavirus: 800,000 Haitians may die of COVID-19. thegrayzone.com Gutted by US-allied, neoliberal governments which have controlled the country since 2004, Haiti's healthcare sector braces for a potential catastrophe….
(2020-04-09). Colonialism Made Puerto Rico Vulnerable to Coronavirus Catastrophe. thenation.com Colonialism Made Puerto Rico Vulnerable to Coronavirus Catastrophe…
(2020-04-09). Covid-19 to plunge half a billion people into poverty. truepublica.org.uk New research published by UNU-WIDER today warns that the economic fallout from the global pandemic could increase global poverty by as much as half a billion people, or 8% of the total human population. This would be the first time that poverty has increased globally in thirty years, since 1990. The authors of the UNU-WIDER study — Andy Sumner and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez …
(2020-04-08). "A Systematic Issue of Disparity": Black People in Louisiana Account for 70% of COVID-19 Deaths. democracynow.org 
Louisiana faces one of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus in the United States. New data shows black people account for 70% of all the state's coronavirus deaths, though they comprise just 32% of the state's population. Louisiana also has the highest incarceration rate in the country, and more than 65% of the people in its jails and prisons are black. At least 28 people are infected, and 22 corrections staff have tested positive. State corrections officials are sending infected prisoners to the Louisiana State Penitentiary — known as Angola, the largest maximum-security prison in the United States [mdas…
(2020-04-08). Open Letter to Condemn Trump Administration's Hypocritical Indictment on Drug Charges of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and High-Ranking Venezuelan Officials. dissidentvoice.org We, the undersigned organizations and prominent individuals, condemn the false claims of criminal charges by the US government against the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and other high-ranking officials with the pretext of their alleged involvement in international drug trafficking. The US government is offering a $15 million bounty for information that would …
(2020-04-08). Billionaire-backed Human Rights Watch lobbies for lethal US sanctions on leftist governments as Covid crisis rages. thegrayzone.com Regime change-hungry HRW is proudly taking credit for crushing new US sanctions on Nicaragua while pushing to escalate Washington's economic…
(2020-04-07). Headlines for April 7, 2020. democracynow.org Boris Johnson in Intensive Care for COVID-19, U.K.'s Foreign Secretary Deputized | , Most of U.S. Population Told to Stay Home as Medical Equipment Shortages Continue to Mar Response, Trump Ignored Coronavirus Warnings from His Own Administration as Early as January | , Grocery Stores Report Coronavirus Deaths as Workers Say They Are Not Receiving Adequate Protection, WI Primary Vote Goes Ahead After Ruling by State Supreme Court; SCOTUS Throws Out Mail-in Ballot Extension, New York Appears to Flatten COVID-19 Curve as Cuomo Tightens Preventive Measures, Gov't Called to Release Data on Racial Makeup of COVID-19 D…
(2020-04-07). Celiac Disease and Mortality Risk in a Swedish Population. jamanetwork.com This population epidemiology study used Swedish histopathology registry data to estimate mortality risk in patients with vs without celiac disease.
(2020-04-07). USPSTF 2020 Recommendations on Screening for Asymptomatic Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnancy. jamanetwork.com Bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy is associated with higher risks of pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, whether or not symptoms are reported. Bacterial vaginosis is currently considered to be a microbial imbalance of the lower genital tract characterized by low levels of "healthy" Lactobacillus and overgrowth of a mixed population of other bacterial genera, including Gardnerella, Atopobium, Prevotella, Mobiluncus, Sneathia, and other taxa. Many of these microbes are also common isolates from sites of intrauterine infection, including the placenta and amniotic fluid. These findings have motivated…
(2020-04-04). [Research Paper] Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing surgeries during the incubation period of COVID-19 infection. thelancet.com In this retrospective cohort study of 34 operative patients with confirmed COVID-19, 15 (44 ∑1%) patients needed ICU care, and the mortality rate was 20 ∑5%.
(2020-04-03). Ex UN anti-narcotics chief & mob expert says US Treasury running 'mafia racket' against Venezuela. thegrayzone.com Pino Arlacchi, the former Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Prevention, says US is behaving…
(2020-04-03). Haití en el precipicio mientras el coronavirus y el liderazgo impuesto por EEUU hacen estragos. thegrayzone.com Mientras que Haití es ampliamente despreciado, el gobierno respaldado por Estados Unidos promueve oficialmente el distanciamiento social para reprimir al…
(2020-04-01). Pompeo's 'transition' plan tells Venezuela to suffer into submission. thegrayzone.com Declaring that "Nicolas Maduro will never again govern Venezuela," Mike Pompeo unveils a so-called "transition" plan that tells Venezuelans to…
(2020-04-01). Database Inaccuracies and Disparities in Care Among Hospitalized Homeless Adults. jamanetwork.com To the Editor In a recent issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, Wadhera and colleagues reported that hospitalized adults experiencing homelessness are less likely than those who were not homeless to undergo indicated cardiovascular interventions, including coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass graft. Those who were homeless experienced higher mortality rates. Their study adds to the literature on poor health outcomes in homeless populations by demonstrating that disparities may, in part, be because of disparities in care provided to hospitalized patients.
(2020-04-01). Implementation of HIV Self-Testing Program in New York City—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply We were pleased to read the letter from Edelstein and colleagues about successful HIV self-testing programs supported by the New York City Health Department since 2015. The distribution of HIV self-tests to men who have sex with men and to other at-risk populations has the potential to increase HIV testing, awareness of HIV infection, and to initiate access to treatment and prevention services for more than 150‚ÄØ000 people living in the country with undiagnosed HIV. HIV testing programs could distribute HIV self-tests via the internet, community-based organizations, or other avenues. T…
(2020-03-30). [Correspondence] Dementia care during COVID-19. thelancet.com Older adults are vulnerable at the onset of natural disasters and crisis, and this has been especially true during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.1 With the aggressive spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the death toll has risen worldwide. According to an interactive online tool that estimates the potential number of deaths from COVID-19 in a population, by age group, in individual countries and regional groupings worldwide under a range of scenarios, most of those who have died were older adults, most of whom had underlying health problems.
(2020-03-13). Julio López Varona on Puerto Rico's Disaster Capitalism. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-03-13). No, Venezuela does not have a six child per family policy. zcomm.org I respect UK journalist Andrew Buncombe. As I noted for FAIR last year, he was one of the few corporate journalists who reported on a study linking Trump's financial sanctions on Venezuela to thousands of deaths by the end of 2018. Since 2018, Trump has repeatedly intensified the sanctions and threatened Venezuela with military action,
(2020-03-11). [Correspondence] Adoption of COVID-19 triage strategies for low-income settings. thelancet.com Despite major advances in epidemic preparedness, Africa remains uniquely susceptible to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to the Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index,1 22 of the 25 countries most susceptible to an infectious disease outbreak are in Africa. The high prevalence of HIV, tuberculosis, and other pathogens might potentiate the severity of COVID-19 and contribute to diagnostic uncertainty. Health-care systems and human resources are already spread thin. And although the young age of the population (with more than half aged younger than 20 years) might prove protective, it also means…
(2020-03-09). [Comment] Getting to zero in the DR Congo Ebola outbreak. thelancet.com Any plan to stop the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo must be based on a quantitative understanding of the proportion of the at-risk population that needs to be protected by effective control measures for transmission to decline sufficiently and quickly enough for the outbreak to end.
(2020-03-09). [Comment] Patchy progress on the ICPD: are we asking the right questions? thelancet.com The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda, set in 1994 in Cairo and revisited 25 years later in Nairobi in 2019, included goals for equitable education of women, reduction of infant and child mortality, reduction of maternal mortality, and access to reproductive and sexual health services, including family planning, through its well known Programme of Action.1 The ICPD was ground-breaking in recognising the benefits that empowerment of women and girls would have for themselves, their families, and, ultimately, their countries.
(2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.
(2020-01-21). [Comment] Oral influenza vaccination—a possible solution for the next pandemic? thelancet.com Influenza is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by a constantly mutating virus, which means that the vaccine composition must be updated almost every year. The burden of seasonal influenza is high,1 but the emergence of a pandemic virus can cause substantially more damage to both populations and health-care systems.2 When a pandemic starts, demand for the specific vaccine soars, leading to a global shortage.
(2020-01-13). [Comment] Fighting malaria with ivermectin: a novel malaria control tool. thelancet.com Malaria is a complex disease involving three interacting living populations, each with its own evolutionary pathway and need of survival: the parasite of genus Plasmodium, which causes the disease in humans; the humans that can be infected by the malaria parasite; and the Anopheles spp mosquito (the vector), which transmits the parasite from human to human. Malaria control strategies targeting these different populations exist. These include mosquitocidal agents that target the aquatic and terrestrial life forms of the mosquito vector,1 prophylactic use of intermittent preventive treatment,2,3 early disease diagn…
(2019-12-02). [Comment] Active management of mild obstructive sleep apnoea: the evidence grows. thelancet.com Obstructive sleep apnoea is highly prevalent and reports indicate a prevalence for mild obstructive sleep apnoea of up to 35% in the general population.1 However, a lower prevalence of about 5% is reported in the general population for the clinical syndrome when sleep disordered breathing, as determined by the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), is combined with relevant daytime manifestations such as excessive sleepiness.1,2 Because many patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, even in the mild category, report debilitating symptoms of sleepiness and other measures of impaired quality of life, the active management of…