(2022-02-16). Headlines for February 16, 2022. democracynow.org NATO, U.S. Express Doubt over Russian Troop Pullback as Putin, Biden Say Diplomatic Path Still Open, Sandy Hook Families Reach Historic $73 Million Deal with Remington, Prince Andrew Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit with Survivor Virginia Giuffre, Ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Arrested for Drug Trafficking, U.N.: Pollution Causes More Premature Deaths Than COVID-19, U.S. Coastal Sea Levels Will Rise Another Foot by Mid-Century, Climate Change-Fueled "Megadrought" in Western U.S. Worst in 12 Centuries, Flooding and Mudslides Kill at Least 34 People in Petrópolis, Brazil, Israeli Forces Kil…
(2022-02-16). NZ protests swell, defying police ultimatum. rt.com 
Anti-vaccine mandate demonstrators have ignored a warning from the authorities to leave voluntarily | Hundreds of protesters defied a police ultimatum to leave the area around Wellington's 'Beehive' parliament on Wednesday, with the crowd continuing to swell. The authorities have described the ongoing demonstration as "orderly." | Inspired by the 'Freedom Convoy' in Canada, activists have blocked several roads in the capital with trucks, vans and motorcycles for nine days. Protesters have also been camping on the grounds outside the distinctive parliament building. | Had a bird's eye view of the protest in Wel…
(2022-02-16). "Endemic" COVID-19 may lead to 250,000 deaths each year in the US. wsws.org Public health officials and policymakers have little stomach to discuss what the so-called "new normal" will look like when the coronavirus is allowed unimpeded access to every home across the country.
(2022-02-16). The Heat: U.S. Coronavirus pandemic latest. america.cgtn.com 
The United States is inching closer to a staggering milestone: one million deaths as the pandemic rages into a third year.
(2022-02-16). Pandemic and vaccine inequality have exacerbated global inequality. wsws.org While it does not say so explicitly, an International Labour Organisation report makes clear that the refusal to implement an elimination strategy, using both vaccines and stringent public health measures on the basis that it would cost too much, has worsened economic prospects.
(2022-02-16). Podcast: Debating vaccines, LGBTQ+ history month, and humans of health research. imperial.ac.uk In this edition: A scientist countering vaccine misinformation, members of Imperial's LGBTQ+ network, and the people behind an impactful asthma trial.
(2022-02-16). Covid vaccines during pregnancy impact newborns — study. rt.com 
Immunity can be passed from jabbed mothers to babies, according to new research | Babies born to mothers who took the Covid-19 vaccine during their pregnancy are likely to have some form of immunity against the virus, according to the latest research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published on Tuesday. | Researchers analyzed data from 379 hospitalized infants — 176 suffered from Covid-19 and 203 were admitted for other reasons. The children were all under six months old between July 2021 and January 2022. | Their study found that hospitalization risks were reduced by 61% in…
(2022-02-16). Far-right anti-vaccine protests in Australia's capital promoted by corporate media. wsws.org Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised the right-wing rabble as "speaking up for the things they feel strongly about," while making common cause with their attacks on state vaccine mandates.
(2022-02-16). Democrats, The More Effective Evil. popularresistance.org When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are less than 5% of the world's population — when the stock market fluctuates on wild rollercoaster rides of highs and lows, when what little help the government offered to the labor force — half of…
(2022-02-16). UK High Court bans pickets at Great Ormond Street Hospital: A frontal assault on the right to strike. wsws.org The High Court's injunction against GOSH workers takes place amid a wave of strikes and pay disputes sparked by rising inflation and fuelled by the bitter experience of workers during the pandemic.
(2022-02-16). Parents and teachers in Germany support students protesting mass infection pandemic policy. wsws.org One parent wrote: "How many students have been left behind by this stressful situation because they received no support and could not get the assistance they required? How many students will leave school without a qualification?"
(2022-02-16). The criminal role of the Swedish government in the pandemic: Testimony from anti-COVID activist Keith Begg. wsws.org This is the first of a two-part interview on the experience of the pandemic in Sweden, the birthplace of the homicidal "herd immunity" strategy which the Social Democratic government has ruthlessly pursued since March 2020.
(2022-02-16). Video: Nurses and midwives strike outside NSW parliament. greenleft.org.au Thousands of nurses and midwives went on strike after years of unsafe staffing levels were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Isaac Nellist reports.
(2022-02-16). Unite our class to fight COVID-19. workers.org 
Private industries in the imperialist countries of North America and Europe have superexploited the COVID-19 crisis. And the governments have managed it so poorly that the disaster created an opening for ultraright groups to mobilize. The so-called truckers' revolt in Canada illustrates the danger. In the U.S., the pro-Trump gang . . . |
(2022-02-16). Cuba presentará en marzo dossier de vacunas anticovid a la OMS. telesurtv.net El anuncio fue hecho por el funcionario cubano en rueda de prensa durante la convocatoria al Congreso Internacional Bio Habana 2022.
(2022-02-16). Weekly COVID-19 mortality up 4% worldwide – WHO. tass.com The number of new infections decreased by 19%…
(2022-02-16). Scientists protest Johnson government ripping up UK COVID restrictions. wsws.org Since the detection of Omicron in Britain on November 27, just 11 weeks ago, a staggering 8.2 million people have been recorded infected with COVID and 14,880 more people have died from the disease.
(2022-02-16). Selected Articles: The COVID Mandates Are Leaving Europe. globalresearch.ca 
By Many of the European countries have announced that they will move forward treating Covid as just another endemic disease. Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and the …
(2022-02-16). Woman beats HIV using novel treatment. rt.com 
The American became the fourth person ever to be cured of the virus | A New York woman who had undergone a risky treatment for HIV appears to have been cured of the disease. She finished her medication a year ago, and now doctors say they are unable to find any trace of the virus in her system. | The woman, known only as the "New York patient," was diagnosed with HIV in 2013, and developed leukemia in 2017. Her situation seemed hopeless, but it also made her a perfect candidate for a rare and extremely risky stem-cell treatment. | Due to its high fatality rate, the procedure is only being offered to HIV patien…
(2022-02-16). Australian teacher speaks out against reckless reopening of schools. wsws.org "We have to rid the world of the virus permanently, but the media never raises this because the measures required would impact on profits."
(2022-02-16). Australian university union blocks debate on dangerous reopening of campuses. wsws.org There is widespread concern among staff and students about the infections that will be spread by cramming students into classrooms.
(2022-02-15). Headlines for February 15, 2022. democracynow.org Russia Withdraws Some Troops from Ukraine Border, Says It's Open to More Diplomacy, California Will Keep Mask Mandate for Schools as Universal Mask Mandate Ends, Canadian PM Invokes Emergency Powers as Police Say Anti-Vaccine Protesters Plotted Violence, Thousands of Nurses Go on Strike as Australia Suffers Its First COVID-19 Surge, Civil Society Groups Demand Moderna Drop Vaccine Patent Filings in South Africa, Sudanese Forces Kill Two More Protesters Demanding End to Military Rule, Israeli PM Meets Bahrain's Crown Prince in First-of-Its-Kind Visit, Mexican Media Workers Demand End to Impunity for Th…
(2022-02-15). As COVID-19 surges, Sri Lankan apparel workers support Global Workers Inquest. wsws.org The Rajapakse government's "profits before lives" policy has resulted in thousands of apparel workers being infected with the coronavirus.
(2022-02-15). NYC Cop Mayor Eric Adams Fires 1,400 Workers For Not Getting Vaccine Jab. moguldom.com Some 1,430 New York City workers are out of a job after being fired by Mayor Eric Adams for failing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Cop Mayor Adams, who spent 20 years on the New York City Police Department before entering politics, fired the government workers on Feb. 14. Among the axed workers are …
(2022-02-15). The Fraud of Capitalist Democracy. liberationnews.org 
The panel discusses Johnson & Johnson's decision to halt vaccine production, the attempted lynching of a Black FedEx driver, more racist disenfranchisement, and other stories showing the hollow nature of so-called democracy under U.S. capitalism…
(2022-02-15). 5 Million French Citizens Become 'Unvaccinated' Overnight. libya360.wordpress.com The unboosted are now excluded from bars, cinemas and other public venues The French government rescinded the vaccine passports of up to five million of its people today, effectively banning them from much of French society. From 15 February, French citizens must have received a booster jab within four months of their second dose in order…
(2022-02-15). Anti-vax protesters take over Canberra city. greenleft.org.au About 10,000 anti-vaccination protesters from around the country converged on Parliament House on February 12. Kerry Smith reports.
(2022-02-15). Dexamethasone and Number of Days Alive Without Life Support in Adults With COVID-19 and Severe Hypoxemia—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply Drs Zhao and Ma express concern that the emergence of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 during the enrollment period of our study may have changed the effect of dexamethasone because this variant may be more resistant to interventions. To our knowledge, there are no data supporting this hypothesis. Importantly, dexamethasone has anti-inflammatory effects and is unlikely to have antiviral effects. Regarding the concern expressed by Zhao and Ma about the different treatment locations of patients enrolled, we assessed the interaction of intervention effect between patients enrolled in India and in Europe in a…
(2022-02-15). Sharp swings in Australian by-elections underscore political instability. wsws.org The by-elections were the first electoral test of the government decisions made to scrap most pandemic safety restrictions.
(2022-02-15). Governments across the globe are pressing to declare the pandemic over. wsws.org Since the WHO declared the Omicron strain a variant of concern at the end of November 2021, more than 140 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported with almost 600,000 deaths.
(2022-02-15). Cuba is Moving Closer to Controlling the Pandemic. libya360.wordpress.com Alejandra Garcia photo: Ismael Batista Two years ago, when COVID-19 broke out, we had no idea that it would be the most traumatic experience that every country in the world would have to live through, and that it would hit especially hard those nations with low resources, such as this small Caribbean island. As soon…
(2022-02-15). Backed by AOC & Bernie, House Candidate Greg Casar Says "Big Progressive Change" Is Possible in Texas. democracynow.org 
Two competitive congressional races are heating up in Texas. Former labor organizer Greg Casar and immigrant human rights lawyer Jessica Cisneros have both gained national endorsements from progressive lawmakers like New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who traveled to the state to campaign for them this past weekend. "We have a real opportunity for big progressive change here in the heart of the state where we've seen so many oppressive laws be pushed through the pandemic," says Casar, who is running in Texas's 35th Congressional District, which covers eastern Austin and east…
(2022-02-15). French COVID-19 deaths reach highest level since the winter of 2021. wsws.org A new rise in daily deaths has not stopped the Macron government from seeking to remove all remaining health measures against COVID-19.
(2022-02-15). How Young Workers Are Being Exploited in the COVID-19 Economy. independentmediainstitute.org The newcomer to Bob Garrou's high school wrestling program had won his first match, and was growing in confidence, when he abruptly quit the team. It sickened Garrou to learn why. A local store summarily fired the teen when he balked at working more than the 16 hours he already put in each week, leading …
(2022-02-15). Dexamethasone and Number of Days Alive Without Life Support in Adults With COVID-19 and Severe Hypoxemia. jamanetwork.com To the Editor We have some questions regarding the data presented in the COVID STEROID 2 trial. A close review of the baseline patient characteristics reveals there was no significant difference in median weight between the high-dose vs low-dose dexamethasone groups, and an analysis stratified by body mass index or weight was not presented in the article. However, studies have demonstrated that patients with COVID-19 and overweight or obesity require more assisted ventilation and are more frequently admitted to intensive care units.
(2022-02-15). UK schools inspectorate blames COVID-19 "bubble mentality" for pupil absences. wsws.org That the body responsible for maintaining standards in educational facilities expresses no concern whatsoever with the health and wellbeing of those whose welfare it is supposedly supporting is criminal.
(2022-02-15). The Covid Regime Has Fooled Us All. libya360.wordpress.com Jacob Siegel Did mass formation psychosis make us easy to deceive? In the late stages of the American Covid regime, "The Science" has become dramatically less important to the ruling class. Notably missing from a new debate about masking policy, in which President Biden has cast doubt on the recent decision by seven Democratic governors…
(2022-02-15). COVID-19 and Blood Donation. jamanetwork.com Using laboratory tests to screen routine blood donors for COVID-19 isn't recommended, according to recently updated information from the FDA.
(2022-02-15). Temporary layoffs extended at US Ford auto plants, expand to other automakers. wsws.org Ford and other automakers have cut production in the US due to shortages, while COVID continues to spread through the plants left open.
(2022-02-15). Omicron rages in German hospitals and nursing homes. wsws.org Every week there are hundreds of virus outbreaks in hospitals and nursing homes where sick and frail people are cared for.
(2022-02-15). Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndromes. jamanetwork.com This review discusses current evidence regarding epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and prognosis of acute coronary syndromes.
(2022-02-15). Guidelines Synopsis: Diagnosis of Lyme Disease. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Clinical Guidelines Synopsis summarizes the diagnosis portion of a 2020 practice guideline on Lyme disease.
(2022-02-15). Can Eating Organic Help Prevent Parkinson's Disease? independentmediainstitute.org Agricultural workers in the United States currently use more than 400 different pesticides on their crops to ensure "higher yields and improved product quality." These pesticides, however, threaten the health of people who work with them on farms or agricultural land and of those who live near these areas. Two of the most dangerous pesticides …