(2022-01-07). We need prison abolition, not reform — a WW commentary. workers.org 
Nearly 2.3 million people, who are incarcerated every day in prisons, jails and detention centers in the United States, face possible death sentences while locked up during a deadly respiratory pandemic. Despite facing inhumane and unsanitary conditions, they have shown great solidarity with one another and resistance to their brutal . . . |
(2022-01-07). Yes, there really were only two COVID deaths in mainland China in 2021. Here's how they did it. liberationnews.org To someone who lives under U.S. capitalism, a medical system that can successfully curb a pandemic like COVID-19 may seem like fantasy. What did the people, government, and Communist Party of China do to accomplish this incredible result?>
(2022-01-07). Chicago teachers' struggle part of growing class battle against deadly pandemic policy. wsws.org Working class resistance in the United States and around the world is escalating against the ruling class policy of allowing millions of workers and young people to become infected with Covid-19 in their schools, workplaces and communities.
(2022-01-07). Thursday 1/6: Sacramento: Jan. 6th In-Person Sidewalk Vigil for Democracy & Voting Rights. indybay.org SACRAMENTO: Sidewalk intersection of 16th Street & J Street, Sacramento 95814 | Please wear a mask and be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…
(2022-01-07). Headlines for January 7, 2022. democracynow.org On Jan. 6 Anniversary, Biden Warns of Trump's "Dagger at the Throat of Democracy", Supreme Court to Weigh Vaccine Mandates as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High, WHO Warns Omicron Is Overwhelming Hospitals and Killing People, Not "Mild", As Omicron Shatters Pandemic Records, Brazil's Bolsonaro Blasts Child Vaccinations, Kazakh President Orders Troops to Shoot Without Warning as Protest Death Toll Mounts, 3 Eritrean Refugees, Including 2 Children, Killed by Airstrike in Ethiopia's Tigray, Israelis Kill Two Palestinians in West Bank; Far-Right Protesters Attack Palestinian Reporter, Two Journalists Murdered in…
(2022-01-07). Thursday 1/6: Sonoma: January 6th Day of Remembrance & Action Vigil for Democracy & Voting Rights. indybay.org SONOMA: Sonoma Plaza, 453 1st St E, Sonoma, CA 95476 | Wear a mask and please be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…
(2022-01-07). Thursday 1/6: Santa Rosa: January 6th Day of Remembrance & Action Vigil for Democracy & Voting Rights. indybay.org SANTA ROSA: Courthouse Square, Fourth Street & Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 | Please wear a mask and be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…
(2022-01-07). WHO Says Omicron Variant Is Not "Mild" as ER Doctor Describes New COVID Wave Overwhelming Hospitals. democracynow.org 
We look at the skyrocketing number of COVID infections. Coronavirus cases hit record highs this week, with global cases climbing 70% from last week to 9.5 million and the U.S. reporting a single-day record of 1 million new cases on Monday. In the U.S., the extraordinary volume of cases is filling up emergency rooms nationwide and exhausting healthcare workers, says emergency room physician Dr. Craig Spencer, who has been treating coronavirus patients since the pandemic began. "We're much better at treating this disease now," says Spencer, "but the problem is that the amount of volume that we're seeing threatens t…
(2022-01-07). CRD Workers' Struggles in Southern Africa Pacifica's Covid Race & Democracy. indybay.org Pacifica's Covid, Race and Democracy covers the growing working class struggles in South Africa from Namibia to South Africa.
(2022-01-07). The highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being: The First Newsletter (2022). mronline.org 
As we enter the new year almost two years after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the official death toll from COVID-19 sits just below 5.5 million people.
(2022-01-07). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org French secondary school teachers begin a week of strikes over COVID-19 danger, unions demand mitigation only; 3,000 workers begin five-week strike at Finnish forestry company UPM over collective bargaining agreement; further protests by Iranian workers and pensioners in defence of livelihoods as food inflation hits 80 percent; strike by 5,000 workers at South African dairy group Clover Foods continues, with factory closures imminent and 1,000 job losses…
(2022-01-07). Suben los casos, que lo haga también la responsabilidad. cubadebate.cu El grupo temporal de trabajo para la prevención y el control del nuevo coronavirus, encabezado este jueves por el Primer Ministro, Manuel Marrero Cruz, evalúo la actual situación epidemiológica del país e intercambió con las autoridades de todas las provincias y el municipio especial Isla de la Juventud.
(2022-01-07). Norwegian Vaccine Researcher Says Pandemic 'Over for Most', Health Authorities Beg to Differ. sputniknews.com According to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the novel Omicron strain only causes around a third or half as serious a disease as the previously dominant Delta strain. At the same time, Omicron is seen as more infectious than predecessors and may result in a significant wave, encumbering the health service, the authorities have warned.
(2022-01-07). Multimillionaire Republican donor declares vaccines are part of a Jewish plot for world domination. wsws.org Utah capitalist David Bateman, who shared hundreds of fascistic and antisemitic posts on his social media account, resigned from the board of Entrata after his email was made public Monday.
(2022-01-07). The Highest Attainable Standard of Health Is a Fundamental Right of Every Human Being. popularresistance.org It is not as if Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, has been monumentally better at managing the pandemic. When the US Food and Drug Administration paused the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April 2021, it fed into growing anti-vaccine sentiment in the country; confusion between Biden's White House and the Centre for Disease Control over the use of masks furthered the chaos in the country. The deep political animosity between Trump supporters and liberals and the general lack of concern for hand-to-mouth earners with no social safety net accelerated the cultural divides in the United States.
(2022-01-07). German police raid far-right antivaxers who planned a series of murders. wsws.org The police raid against members of the Telegram chat group Dresden Offlinevernetzung should not be misinterpreted. The situation is reminiscent of conditions in the Weimar Republic.
(2022-01-07). US public school teachers fight for COVID safety. peoplesdispatch.org In New York City, around 200 public school teachers and community members rallied outside the Barclays Center on January 5 to demand safety measures as the COVID-19 positivity rate skyrockets. Organized by the MORE (Movement of Rank and File Educators) caucus of the NYC teacher's union United Federation of Teachers (UFT), protestors demanded KN95 or N95 masks for all students, faculty and staff, weekly testing of all staff and students, repair or replacement of ventilation systems, excused student absences due to COVID surges and remote-learning options. | "All of my students know that I'm here right now," said A…
(2022-01-07). Unemployment Falls to 3.9 Percent; Wage Growth Remains Strong. cepr.net The 3.9 percent December unemployment rate is better than all but five months in the 1990s boom. | The unemployment rate fell another 0.3 percentage points in December, bringing the unemployment rate down to 3.9 percent. This is lower than all but five months in the late 1990s boom and the period between May 2018 and the pandemic. | At the same time, the establishment survey showed a weaker than expected increase in 199,000 jobs; although the prior two months figures were revised upward by a total of 141,000. With the upward revisions, the average growth for the last three months was 365,000. | Overall employment…
(2022-01-07). Mental health and the holidays: Resolutions. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Q: The start of a new year stirs up thoughts of reflection and the desire for change. What are healthy resolutions, and what tips do you have for staying committed? A: Change is hard, and new habits are much easier to make and then break because old patterns may be more familiar, comfortable and easy. Also, stress from the COVID-19 pandemic can make some resolutions more difficult to follow through on. For example, you might…
(2022-01-07). North Korea claims US is leading 'hostile forces' in Olympics decision. rt.com 
The US has been accused of "insulting" China over the Beijing Olympics by North Korea, which has said it will not participate in the Games and praised Xi Jinping's government | North Korea has reached a decision over the Beijing Olympics in an announcement influenced by the pandemic and the "hostile forces" being led by the US. | Pyongyang has announced that it will not be participating in the Games and Paralympics in February, repeating its decision over the Tokyo Olympics in summer 2021, when it did not send a team because of purported fears over Covid. | North Korea's national Olympic committee and sports m…
(2022-01-07). Consumer Health: Children and good hand-washing habits. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's that frequent hand-washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness. Keeping hands clean can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Help children stay healthy by encouraging them to wash their hands frequently, and make it a family affair….
(2022-01-07). The way forward for University Michigan faculty and students in the fight against the pandemic. wsws.org The reopening of the campus to in-person learning at the University of Michigan comes in the face of skyrocketing local infections and hospitalizations from the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
(2022-01-07). Why some intubated COVID-19 patients may need tracheal reconstruction surgery. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org One of the long-term impacts observed during the COVID-19 pandemic stems from patients being intubated and breathing from a ventilator for an extended period of time. These patients usually undergo a procedure known as a tracheostomy. The trachea, also known as the windpipe, allows air to pass between the upper respiratory tract and the lungs. In cases of respiratory failure, prolonged intubation and tracheostomy can lead to a rare complication of a narrowing of the…
(2022-01-07). Israel admits Covid mutation rendered travel bans useless. rt.com 
Amid a spike in Omicron infections, Tel Aviv is retiring its 'red list' of destinations | Israel has lifted its strict Covid-19 travel ban against 'high risk' countries, such as the US and UK, acknowledging that the spread of the Omicron variant has rendered such restrictions obsolete. | Nachman Ash, the director-general of Israel's Ministry of Health,
(2022-01-07). US West Coast hospitals overwhelmed by Omicron with thousands of doctors and nurses infected. wsws.org Hospitals from California to Washington state are on the brink of collapse as an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant sweeps across the workforce and drives infections and admissions to all time highs.
(2022-01-07). US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 4,764 job deaths, not including thousands from COVID-19. wsws.org The US Bureau of Labor Statistics failed to include workplace-related deaths from COVID-19, blaming lack of adequate and accurate reporting.
(2022-01-07). 200 British Troops Sent to London Hospitals to Help NHS Tackle 'Staffing Crisis'. sputniknews.com In late December, Pat Cullen, head of the Royal College of Nursing, revealed that London-based HNS staff are often working 14-hour shifts to make up for the healthcare agency's staff shortages amid a surge in COVID infections.
(2022-01-07). Philadelphia teachers demand switch to virtual learning as COVID-19 cases skyrocket. wsws.org Anger is rising among Philadelphia educators as massive levels of COVID-19 infections have prompted the school district to close 92 schools this week.
(2022-01-07). Italia reporta nuevo récord de contagios por la Covid-19. telesurtv.net De acuerdo con cifras del Ministerio de Salud italiano, el país registra casi 7 millones de contagios hasta la fecha.
(2022-01-07). Mounting crisis in Australian hospitals drives workers to quit. wsws.org New South Wales hospitals have been told to expect a trebling of COVID-19 admissions in the next month.
(2022-01-07). Thousands of Michigan health care workers test positive for COVID-19 as Omicron surge accelerates. wsws.org As hospital systems in Michigan are being overrun with record numbers of COVID-19 patients, health care employees are testing positive by the hundreds, vastly reducing the health care system's ability to respond to the crisis.
(2022-01-07). "Pushing the Reset Button" In the Wake of the Covid Crisis: "Coming to the Rescue of Humanity", Implanting Chips in Human Beings. globalresearch.ca first published by Global …
(2022-01-07). Envían hacia Nicaragua dosis de Soberana Plus para vacunación pediátrica. cubadebate.cu Un lote de la vacuna cubana anti-COVID-19 Soberana Plus parte hoy hacia Nicaragua, para su uso en la vacunación pediátrica de ese país centroamericano. Así lo informó en la red social Twitter el Instituto Finlay de Vacunas (IFV), desarrollador del inmunógeno y agregó que es un orgullo que los niños nicaragàºenses completen su vacunación con Soberana Plus.
(2022-01-07). FDA issues emergency use authorization for second at-home COVID-19 treatment. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org For the second time in as many days, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for an investigational antiviral pill to treat COVID-19. This time it is Merck's molnupiravir. According to the company, under the emergency use authorization, the treatment is cleared to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults who have tested positive for the disease, are at high risk for progression to severe COIVD-19 and for whom alternative COVID-19…
(2022-01-07). Chicago Teachers Voted To Teach Remotely Amid Omicron Wave. popularresistance.org As Covid-19 cases surge to record levels, the 25,000-member Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is once again in a standoff with the city's school system to increase safety measures for educators, students and communities. | After Mayor Lori Lightfoot repeatedly refused the union's proposals for stronger Covid-19 mitigations in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) amid the fast-spreading Omicron wave, 73% of CTU members voted Tuesday night to temporarily teach remotely. In response, Lightfoot and CPS cancelled all classes Wednesday and locked educators out of online learning platforms.
(2022-01-07). EE.UU. marca récord en hospitalizaciones infantiles por Covid-19. telesurtv.net Estados Unidos duplica el número de hospitalizaciones respecto a la anterior ola provocada por la expansión de la cepa Delta.
(2022-01-07). Study: India May See 1 Million COVID Cases Daily by End of January. sputniknews.com Since the end of December, India has been witnessing a continuous rise in COVID-19 cases. On Friday morning, the country reported 117,100 new cases and 302 deaths due to the virus. This is the first time in seven months that daily cases have crossed the 100,000 mark in the country.
(2022-01-07). UK army deployed to hospitals. rt.com 
Around 200 British soldiers have been deployed to London NHS hospitals amid severe staffing shortages that have put patient care at risk | Military medics have been tasked with aiding the NHS after at least 24 hospital trusts declared critical incidents, amid staffing shortages that risk compromising their ability to care for patients and provide priority services. | The Ministry of Defence confirmed on Friday that 200 military personnel will be deployed for the next three weeks to fill gaps caused by staff having to self-isolate due to a Covid infection or coming into contact a positive case. | The bulk of th…
(2022-01-07). Global COVID-19 cases surpass 300 mln: Johns Hopkins University. ecns.cn Global COVID-19 cases topped 300 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
(2022-01-07). 'We Are Bathing in Syphilis Right Now': Sweden Sees Spike in Disease Once Forgotten. sputniknews.com The steep rise in syphilis, a disease nearly extinct in the Nordic country, is particularly rampant among homosexual men, which has been partly ascribed to the efficiency of therapy against HIV, which makes people less keen on using condoms.
(2022-01-06). Thursday 1/6: Sacramento: Jan. 6th In-Person Sidewalk Vigil for Democracy & Voting Rights. indybay.org SACRAMENTO: Sidewalk intersection of 16th Street & J Street, Sacramento 95814 | Please wear a mask and be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…
(2022-01-06). Headlines for January 6, 2022. democracynow.org Biden to Call Out Trump's "Singular Responsibility" for Jan. 6 Insurrection, Jimmy Carter: U.S. Is at "Genuine Risk of Civil Conflict and Losing Our Precious Democracy", CDC Endorses Boosters for 12-to-15-Year-Olds as COVID Cases Skyrocket, Dozens Killed in Kazakhstan as Protests Grow in Former Soviet Republic, North Korea Acknowledges Testing Hypersonic Missile, Chilean Constitutional Assembly Elects New President to Rewrite Pinochet-Era Document, 12 Die, Including 8 Children, in Philadelphia House Fire, Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks New Trial After Two Jurors Admit Being Sexual Abuse Survivors, As Guantánamo Turns 20…
(2022-01-06). Thursday 1/6: Santa Rosa: January 6th Day of Remembrance & Action Vigil for Democracy & Voting Rights. indybay.org SANTA ROSA: Courthouse Square, Fourth Street & Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 | Please wear a mask and be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…
(2022-01-06). Thursday 1/6: Sonoma: January 6th Day of Remembrance & Action Vigil for Democracy & Voting Rights. indybay.org SONOMA: Sonoma Plaza, 453 1st St E, Sonoma, CA 95476 | Wear a mask and please be vaccinated/boosted. Follow all COVID safety guidelines, especially w/ omicron variant: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Omicron-Variant-Fact-Sheet.aspx…
(2022-01-06). Norwegian Health Authorities Receive Threats Amid Record COVID-19 Spread. sputniknews.com The threats to the health authorities' lives and health often come in connection with new measures to curb the spread of COVID, as well as vaccination efforts. They were subsequently reported to the police as a "threat to democracy" and given top priority.
(2022-01-06). CRD Workers' Struggles in Southern Africa Pacifica's Covid Race & Democracy. indybay.org Pacifica's Covid, Race and Democracy covers the growing working class struggles in South Africa from Namibia to South Africa.
(2022-01-06). Misiles cubanos contra la mentira. cubadebate.cu No debe sorprender que, junto a Abdala, Cuba haya creado otros dos inmunógenos contra el nuevo coronavirus y que ya tenga dos candidatos más camino de convertirse en vacunas. Tampoco, debe subrayarse, que sea el primer país en lograrlo en América Latina y el Caribe, y en lo que conocíamos como Tercer Mundo. Ocho de los antígenos aplicados en el programa general de vacunación de la isla, que alcanza casi el ciento por ciento de la población objetivo, son de fabricación propia.
(2022-01-06). SEP Australia electoral members discuss worsening coronavirus infections and the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic. wsws.org "The ICFI and the SEP is the only organisation that is offering workers a way out of the pandemic."
(2022-01-06). Whoopi Goldberg Says Was Surprised to Test Positive for COVID-19 Despite Following All Safety Rules. sputniknews.com Actress and TV host Whoopi Goldberg missed the first episode of "The View" in 2022 after she caught coronavirus during the show's break for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
(2022-01-06). Danish Professor Wants to 'Let Omicron Loose' Among Vaccinated, Politicians Wary. sputniknews.com While vaccine researcher and Copenhagen University Professor Ole Frilev Olesen has maintained that the Omicron strain would push the more dangerous Delta off the playing field, the Danish authorities are not ready to lift restrictions for the vaccinated, citing an increase in hospitalisations amid a record wave of infections.