(2021-12-01). People's movements, trade unions, and left parties join hands demanding TRIPS waiver on Covid-19 medical products. peoplesdispatch.org After the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference was called off following the discovery of the Omicron variant, trade unions, civil society organizations and parties on the left ramped up actions in favor of a TRIPS waiver for Covid-19 medical products…
(2021-12-01). Omicron variant exposes "vaccine only" strategy to combat COVID-19. wsws.org The Omicron variant has shattered the lie that the pandemic can be ended without a globally-coordinated strategy aimed at the elimination and eradication of Sars-CoV-2.
(2021-12-01). Headlines for December 1, 2021. democracynow.org Omicron Detected in Europe Days Before South Africa Reported Variant; FDA Endorses Merck COVID Pill, Michigan High Schooler Kills 3 Other Students in Shooting Rampage, Mark Meadows to Testify Before House Jan. 6 Cmte, Panel Pursues Jeffrey Clark Contempt Charges | , U.S. Removes FARC From Terror Blacklist, HRW: Taliban Have Killed or Disappeared 100+ Ex-Afghan Security Forces Since August, German Court Convicts Ex-Member of Islamic State For Genocide of Iraq's Yazidi Community, France Inducts Josephine Baker into Pantheon As Far-Right, Racist Pundit Announces Presidential Bid, Rep. Ilhan Omar Shares Violent, Isla…
(2021-12-01). Yes Folks, Omicron Can be Blamed on Patent Monopolies. cepr.net The development of the new variant, which was first discovered in South Africa, can be attributed to our failure to open-source our vaccines and freely transfer technology, contrary to claims from the pharmaceutical industry and its political allies. Their big talking point is that South Africa currently has more vaccines than it can effectively use …
(2021-12-01). As winter wave of COVID-19 infections looms, Canada's political elite plans to let Omicron variant rip through population. wsws.org The travel history of the five Omicron cases in Canada, four of which are in Ontario and one in Quebec, suggests that the variant has been spreading widely throughout Africa for some time. All five, none of whom are related, returned from Nigeria via Montreal.
(2021-12-01). WHO Stands with African Nations and Calls for Borders to Remain Open. popularresistance.org Scientists in Southern African nations revealed the presence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant but the good deed was punished with worldwide travel bans. The World Health Organization makes clear that the rationale for the ban is of dubious benefit and needlessly harms the targeted nations. The role of rich nations in hoarding vaccines and the continued patents on vaccines increase harm for Africans who are now the target of blame. Pledges to "follow the science" disappeared when Africa became the focus of attention.
(2021-12-01). Will Omicron be more contagious than Delta? asiatimes.com 
A new variant named Omicron (B.1.1.529) was reported by researchers in South Africa on November 24, 2021, and designated a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization two days later. Omicron is very unusual in that it is by far the most heavily mutated variant yet of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The …
(2021-12-01). "The Viral Underclass": COVID-19 and AIDS Show What Happens When Inequality and Disease Collide. democracynow.org 
As December 1 marks World AIDS Day, we look at the pandemic that preceded COVID-19 and how recorded deaths of complications from the coronavirus this year have surpassed those of HIV/AIDS in the United States. The head of UNAIDS has warned the COVID-19 pandemic may result in an increase in infections and deaths from HIV and AIDS. Both viruses disproportionately impacted vulnerable minority communities. Although treatment rollout for HIV/AIDS was uniquely inhibited by homophobia, racism, and sexism, it was also plagued by corporate greed and U.S. exceptionalism. "We're seeing very similar dynamics again now with C…
(2021-12-01). Army general to lead Germany's coronavirus crisis response team. wsws.org The decision to put a general in charge of its COVID-19 crisis team permits only one conclusion: the German government in waiting does not regard the pandemic as a medical problem, but rather as a security issue.
(2021-12-01). Rise in coronavirus outbreaks in German workplaces. wsws.org Alongside the health authorities and company managements, the trade unions and their affiliated works councils ensure that infection rates are concealed and business operations continue as workers fall ill.
(2021-12-01). Referendum in Switzerland: A vote for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. wsws.org Amid an explosive new coronavirus wave, a clear 62 percent majority in Switzerland voted on Sunday to keep the COVID-19 law in place.
(2021-12-01). Selected Articles: Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Biden's Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers in 10 States. globalresearch.ca 
By Finish naturopathic Doctor Ariyana Love s…
(2021-12-01). As COVID-19 cases surge throughout Ohio, Republican-controlled state senate holds a hearing on antivaccine bill. wsws.org Following the trend in the Midwest and Upstate New York, cases are resurging through Ohio after a brief respite, and hospital admissions are once more climbing.
(2021-12-01). My Daughter Was Exposed to COVID. Thank Goodness She Was Vaccinated. truthout.org 
The fear arrived in late February 2020, and has remained, in one form or another, ever since. Remained? It puts its feet up on the coffee table and hogs the comforter so I can't sleep. The mask, the distancing, the hand sanitizer, the bellowing silence of isolation, the lengthening list of restaurants and bars I loved that are gone now and forever, and the sickened, and the dead. Always the dead. Almost a thousand again today, with 86,000 new infections. It must be Wednesday. | I've been quietly waitin…
(2021-12-01). Greed Is Prolonging the Pandemic. otherwords.org Stop me if this sounds familiar. | It's been kind of a hard year, but I felt optimistic about the holidays. My wife and I had just scheduled our COVID-19 boosters. Even better, we'd been able to get our young child vaccinated. | We imagined a cautious return to simple family pleasures like indoor dining — and maybe playdates at indoor play centers during the long Midwestern winter. Maybe we'd even test our kid's appetite for air travel and visit relatives in different parts of the country. | Then — another COVID-19 variant. Possible breakthrough infections. Travel bans and tumbling stock markets. And…
(2021-12-01). Growing outrage among Australian teachers and parents over school COVID infections. wsws.org Opposition to school reopenings is a significant element in the wider hostility toward the political establishment and its callous indifference to the lives and well-being of working people that Australia's new electoral laws are designed to silence.
(2021-12-01). Indigenous people in Australia twice as likely to be infected with COVID-19. wsws.org The increasing number of infections and deaths in indigenous communities was both predicted and preventable, but the warnings of health experts and community leaders were ignored.
(2021-12-01). Rise in cornonavirus outbreaks in German workplaces. wsws.org Alongside the health authorities and company managements, the trade unions and their affiliated works councils ensure that infection rates are concealed and business operations continue as workers fall ill.
(2021-11-30). Omicron COVID-19 Variant Poses Downside Risks To US Economy. telesurenglish.net On Monday afternoon, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant pose downside risks to U.S. employment and economic activity and increased uncertainty for inflation. | RELATED: | "Greater concerns about the virus could reduce people's willingness to work in person, which would slow progress in the labor market and intensify supply-chain disrup…
(2021-11-30). Washington State Hospital Association CEO: Almost No Chance Omicron Variant Is Not In America. moguldom.com Eighteen countries have already confirmed cases of the "omicron" covid-19 variant. Although there have been no reported cases in the U.S. yet, a Washington State Hospital Association executive says there is no chance that the variant isn't already in the country. "I think all of our panelists and I agree wholeheartedly that Omicron is in the …
(2021-11-30). WHO Assembly Seeks 'Pandemic Treaty' Amid Omicron Concerns. telesurenglish.net On Monday, a special session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) kicked off amid growing concerns over the latest Omicron coronavirus variant, where the participants aim to negotiate a new "pandemic treaty." | RELATED: | The WHA May session this year decided to set up a working group to consider the findings and recommendations of a number of panels and committees on global preparedness for and response to COVID-19 before starting t…
(2021-11-30). Headlines for November 30, 2021. democracynow.org World Health Organization Warns of "Very High" Risk Posed by Omicron Variant, Nurses Demand COVID-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver; China Pledges 1 Billion Doses for Africa, Centers for Disease Control Strengthens Vaccine Booster Recommendation for Adults, Federal Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers in 10 States, Pentagon to Investigate U.S. Airstrike That Killed Dozens of Civilians in Syria, Iran Demands Sanctions Relief as Talks on Revived Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Majority of Australian Parliament Workers Face Bullying, Sexual Harassment or Assault, Ghislaine Maxwell Sex Trafficking Trial Gets Und…
(2021-11-30). Video: #Yes, It's a "Killer Vaccine": Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca The unspoken truth is that the novel coronavirus provides a pretext to powerful financial interests and corrupt politicians to precipitate the entire World into a spiral of mass unemployment, bankruptcy, extreme poverty and despair.
(2021-11-30). Michigan COVID-19 hospitalizations hit new pandemic record. wsws.org Hospitalizations of those infected with coronavirus reached a record high of 4,185 people across the state of Michigan on Monday.
(2021-11-30). Brazil To Remove Barriers To The Use Of Sputnik V Vaccine. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, Brazil's Foreign Affairs Ministry Carlos Franca indicated that his country will use the Sputnik V vaccine as soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) approves it. | RELATED: | "We must bring positions between our regulatory agencies to withdraw the current demand," he said after a meeting with the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry Sergey Lavrov, with whom he signed a diplomatic consultation agreement that…
(2021-11-30). Number of Covid boosters given in US exceeds single shots in 8 African nations combined. nationofchange.org "Our leaders' failure to help bring the vaccines to everyone, everywhere will keep us on a cruel and never-ending cycle of illness, death, and economic suffering."
(2021-11-30). Selected Articles: 13 Year-old Canadian Girl Took the COVID-19 Vaccine. "Try Not to Cry, Her Heart Stopped and Now She Is in Critical Condition" globalresearch.ca 
By In an exclusive interview w…
(2021-11-30). A phase 2/3, participant-blind, observer-blind, randomised, controlled study to assess the safety and immunogenicity of SII-ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (COVID-19 vaccine) in adults in India. thelancet.com SII-ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has a non-inferior immune response compared to AZD1222 and an acceptable safety/reactogenicity profile. Pharmacovigilance should be maintained to detect any safety signals.
(2021-11-30). Tennessee governor enacts reactionary legislation aimed at forcing the population to "live with the virus" wsws.org Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a bill earlier this month which bans mask mandates and provides unemployment benefits to those refusing employer-mandated vaccination against COVID-19.
(2021-11-30). Fighting The Inflation Profiteers. popularresistance.org In a time of high inflation, you hear a lot about companies "passing costs" on to customers. In order for companies to maintain their God-given right to earn a profit, they must raise prices to offset the cost of producing goods and getting them into peoples' hands. And thanks mostly to the hidden risk, exposed by the pandemic, of neoliberal gospels like just-in-time logistics, deregulation, and offshoring, prices really are going up. | But there's something else mixed in with this latest bout of inflation. Companies aren't just passing costs onto us. With corporations using inflation as a cover for raising their…
(2021-11-30). Quebec government left seniors' homes unprotected at start of COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org "It's not just science that decides," said Quebec's director of public health, Horacio Arruda, in defense of the government's policy of putting profits before human lives.
(2021-11-30). Global nurses coalition demands investigation against COVID-19 criminals. peoplesdispatch.org Nurses from 28 countries have filed a complaint in the UN alleging human rights violations by EU, UK, Norway, Switzerland, and Singapore for 'the loss of countless lives' in the pandemic.
(2021-11-30). Tomgram: Rebecca Gordon, Why Do We Need a 24/7 Economy? warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. When it came to work and the pandemic, you could say that I led the way. By the time it struck, I had left my job as an editor in publishing and had been working at home for …
(2021-11-30). Belgian organizations protest spike in violence against women. peoplesdispatch.org According to a recent report by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), partner violence in families has shot up during the COVID-19 pandemic. 18 femicides have been recorded in Belgium since the beginning of 2021…
(2021-11-30). Protests Demanding Affordable Housing Surge In The Netherlands. popularresistance.org On Sunday, November 28, housing rights groups and other progressive sections in the Dutch city of Groningen marched under the banner #Woonstrijd to protest the acute housing crisis in the city. Various groups including Shelter Our Students (SOS), International Socialists Groningen, New Communist Party of the Netherlands (NCPN), Communist Youth Movement (CJB), RED Groningen, Young Socialists Groningen, Democratic Academy Groningen, Groningen Feminist Network, and others, participated in the march while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols. The protesters demanded a radical housing policy from the authorities whic…
(2021-11-30). These Tortilla Workers Walked Out And Won A Day Off Work. popularresistance.org Chicago —‚ÄâFood production workers at El Milagro, one of Chicago's most popular tortilla companies, join with community allies for a Day of the Dead vigil Nov. 2, 2021, in honor of five coworkers who died after contracting Covid-19 on the job. With candles and sugar skulls outside the company's flagship taqueria in the Little Village neighborhood on the city's Southwest Side, workers and supporters spoke about their ongoing standoff with management‚Äâ—‚Äâand their demands for justice on the job. | "We're here to remember our coworkers, friends and lo…
(2021-11-30). COVID-19 infects Sri Lankan schools: Stop sacrificing the lives of students and teachers! wsws.org The Rajapakse government rushed to reopen schools not out of concern for the education of children but to defend capitalist profits.
(2021-11-30). Pregnant women endangered by "herd immunity" policy and conflicting official advice on COVID-19. wsws.org Saiqa Parveen and Samantha Willis are two of the 13 pregnant or postpartum women killed by COVID-19 just since July in Britain.
(2021-11-30). Chinese study warns ending zero-COVID policy could lead to over 600,000 daily infections. wsws.org The report conservatively estimates that if China followed the US "herd immunity" policy the number of daily cases would exceed 637,000, and the daily tally of serious cases would be more than 22,000, quickly overloading the country's health system.
(2021-11-30). SEP electoral members oppose Australian governments' dangerous COVID-19 reopening drive. wsws.org "This disease is not to be taken lightly. We need to find a way to eradicate it."
(2021-11-30). Grace period in a time of Covid. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In R (Babbage) v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] EWHC 2995 (Admin), the Claimant applied for judicial review, claiming that his immigration detention from 27 February 2020 to 29 April 2021 had been unlawful and/or that there was a public law error relating to the delay in the provision of s.4 …
(2021-11-30). Chinese study warns ending zero-COVID policy would be "a great disaster" wsws.org The report conservatively estimates that if China followed the US "herd immunity" policy the number of daily cases would exceed 637,000, and the daily tally of serious cases would be more than 22,000, quickly overloading the country's health system.
(2021-11-30). Partial lockdown in Slovakia and Czech Republic following record COVID-19 infections. wsws.org After a partial lockdown had already been imposed in Austria, stricter measures and contact restrictions were also imposed in Slovakia and the Czech Republic last week.
(2021-11-30). Venezuela's mega-elections: Despite U.S. sanctions, COVID and economic crisis, Chavismo wins majority of states. workers.org 
By William Camacaro and Frederick Mills Caracas, Venezuela This slightly edited article first appeared on the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) website on Nov. 22 at tinyurl.com/2p8n6n87. The article was updated on Nov. 23. Translations into English are by the authors. Venezuelans celebrate Chavismo 2021 electoral victories. On Sunday, Nov. . . . |