(2022-03-19). [Articles] Effectiveness of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in health-care workers in South Africa (the Sisonke study): results from a single-arm, open-label, phase 3B, implementation study. thelancet.com The single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine shows effectiveness against severe COVID-19 disease and COVID-19-related death after vaccination, and against both beta and delta variants, providing real-world evidence for its use globally.
(2022-03-19). [Comment] Sisonke: reaching several goals together. thelancet.com Research infrastructure and expertise from decades of HIV and tuberculosis research enabled several COVID-19 vaccine trials to be conducted in South Africa. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine procured by the South African Government did not protect against infection with the beta (B.1.351) variant of concern1 in a phase 1/2 trial and was therefore abandoned in early 2021.2 A single dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine had been shown to be effective against the beta variant of SARS-CoV-2 by the ENSEMBLE trial,3 but as of early 2021 it was not yet authorised by the national regulator.
(2022-03-19). [World Report] CEPI launches 100-day vaccine "moonshot" thelancet.com CEPI has raised $1 ∑5 billion for its work on tackling the next pandemic as civil society calls for a sharper focus on equitable access to new vaccines. Ann Danaiya Usher reports.
(2022-03-19). Saturday 3/19: No World Order — Call for Assembly of Disassembly. indybay.org Gather 6: 30 PM on Saturday 3/19 at Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland—bring your friends and party favors. | Masks are great for more than one reason…
(2022-03-19). Virologist Dr. Stephen Griffin speaks on the COVID pandemic and the Omicron variant. wsws.org A leading expert on the evolution and mutation of viruses discusses the ongoing dangers of the pandemic and the unjustified ending of all public health measures in Britain and internationally.
(2022-03-19). WorkWeek: UESF Teachers Occupy For Back Pay, Covid, Griffin Charter & CNNC Union Busting. indybay.org WorkWeek covers SF UESF Teachers Occupation For Back Pay & Covid Capitalism, Giffin MIT Charter School Teachers Fighting Corruption & Chinese Union Busting at CNNC In Namibia…
(2022-03-19). [Perspectives] Alberto García-Basteiro: seeking better TB control in Mozambique. thelancet.com "I always say that before I came to Mozambique my understanding of tuberculosis was not much more than you learn in med school", says Alberto García-Basteiro, now Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Research Coordinator at the Manhiàßa Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique. Working at CISM, some 80 km north of the country's capital, Maputo, provided him with a rapid, in-depth education in the disease. The research he has led since his arrival in Mozambique in 2013 has earned him the 2021 Stephen Lawn TB—HIV Research Leadership Prize, awarded for his innovative and high-quality research on tuberculosis dia…
(2022-03-19). [Correspondence] Global mortality burden attributable to non-optimal temperatures. thelancet.com Katrin Burkart and colleagues1 present the results of an ambitious study on the global mortality burden attributable to non-optimal temperatures by the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries,and Risk Factors Collaborators. They report that 2 ∑98% of deaths globally could be attributed to non-optimal temperatures in 2019; 2 ∑37% of deaths from low temperatures and 0 ∑63% of deaths from high temperatures.
(2022-03-19). [Perspectives] The misuse of race in the search for disease-causing alleles. thelancet.com In her influential 2000 paper, Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener's Tale, Camara Phyllis Jones presented a theoretical framework for understanding racism through an allegory about a gardener with two flower boxes, one with rich and the other with poor soil. The gardener, who prefers red flowers, plants red blossoming seeds in fertile soil but pink blossoming seeds in poor soil (structural racism) and plucks pink blossoming seeds blown into fertile soil (personally mediated racism).
(2022-03-19). [Clinical Picture] Infective endocarditis and thromboses due to antiphospholipid syndrome following acute Q fever. thelancet.com A 38-year-old man, presented to our hospital emergency room with sudden onset of severe pain, weakness, and hypoesthesia in both legs.
(2022-03-18). Progressives Hand Biden List Of 55 Executive Actions. popularresistance.org The CPC's new list of executive order recommendations is broad in scope, aiming to address a variety of pressing issues including sky-high drug prices, the worsening climate emergency, the coronavirus pandemic, mounting student loan debt, and a rigged tax system—priorities that Biden vowed to tackle on the campaign trail in 2020. | While Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the CPC chair, has said she would prefer ambitious legislation such as the Build Back Better package to more limited executive orders, that bill is dead in the Senate due to opposition from Republicans and corporate-backed Democrats such as S…
(2022-03-18). CDC: U.S. wastewater samples show rise in coronavirus. ecns.cn Samples from U.S. wastewater sites have shown an increase in the coronavirus this month in a third of locations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed, suggesting that cases in key cities including New York are rising.
(2022-03-18). Almost 5 Million COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Venezuela (+COVAX). orinocotribune.com This Thursday, March 16, 4,8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Venezuela through the COVAX program. The process was supervised by the Ministry of Health. No details have yet being given about the origins of this shipment, however, when Venezuela first reached an agreement with the United Nations to purchase vaccines, it was announced that they would be Sinopharm and Vero Cell, which are produced in China. | Minister Magaly Gutiérrez commented that these vaccines "will allow us to immunize the population through our reinforcement program, which was announced by the president of the Bolivarian Republic…
(2022-03-18). Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: New cases of COVID-19 continue downward trend. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org New cases of COVID-19 are down 90% from the peak, with under 75,000 new cases reported last week across the U.S. "What we're observing is a pretty dramatic suppression of cases," explains Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "This is good news, but we need to be cautious." Dr. Poland warns that there are still people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, including people who are immunocompromised; children under 5 who cannot yet be…
(2022-03-18). New 'Compromise' On IP Waiver For Covid Vaccines Is Worse Than No Deal. popularresistance.org On Tuesday, after a year and a half of negotiations over an intellectual property waiver for Covid-related products, the United States, European Union, India and South Africa reportedly reached agreement on a temporary waiver of patent rules for Covid vaccines. "The difficult and protracted process has resulted in a compromise outcome that offers the most promising path toward achieving a concrete and meaningful outcome," said U.S. Trade Representative spokesperson Adam Hodge in a statement. Global health activists, however, are slamming the tentative deal as not only insufficient, but a potential setback, becaus…
(2022-03-18). Mayo Clinic researchers recommend investments in vaccine safety in Nature commentary. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The leaders of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group are emphasizing the need for increased long-term study of vaccines and their mechanisms with future safety of patients in mind. Gregory Poland, M.D., and Richard Kennedy, Ph.D., write in their commentary in the scientific journal Nature Reviews Immunology that greater focus on understanding vaccines' downstream effects, not only on immunity but also on all the other biological systems will provide information that can help make vaccines safer…
(2022-03-18). Ukrainian war pushed Western powers to take off masks. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) — Saying that the Ukrainian war pushed the West to take off its masks, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the real identity of the western powers has become revealed before the people of the world.
(2022-03-18). Mayo Clinic's 2021 achievements affirm 'Bold. Forward.' strategic vision, staff dedication. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org ROCHESTER, Minn. ‚Äï Mayo Clinic is proud to report a year of extraordinary achievements in 2021, thanks to the hard work and dedication of its more than 73,000 staff members. Mayo Clinic accelerated progress on goals related to its "Bold. Forward." strategic plan to transform health care while continuing to provide leadership in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Mayo cared for more than 1.4 million patients from every U.S. state and…
(2022-03-18). Biden appoints mass infection advocate Ashish Jha as COVID-19 Response Coordinator. wsws.org The selection of Jha underscores that the White House will do nothing to stop the pandemic as the Omicron BA.2 subvariant spreads uncontrolled, and all federal pandemic resources dry up.
(2022-03-18). Chinese company delivers container lab to help Laos' COVID-19 testing. ecns.cn Biotech company MGI Tech delivered a container laboratory to Laos on Thursday, so as to help the country boost its mass COVID-19 testing capacity and prepare for the gradual re-opening of its borders in 2022.
(2022-03-18). Faced with a new wave of COVID-19, France ends public health restrictions. wsws.org A new wave of COVID-19, driven by a new subvariant of the Omicron variant, threatens to infect tens of millions of people in France and across Europe.
(2022-03-18). How Artist Cooperatives Found New Ways to Help Creative People Thrive Despite COVID-19. independentmediainstitute.org In the age of online retail and freelance work platforms like Etsy and Upwork respectively, the ability for professional creatives to skip the job hunt and become independent contractors can be very appealing, but studies show that the challenges and anxieties faced by freelancers increase when they take on the responsibility of managing every aspect …
(2022-03-18). Two more manufacturers for COVID-19 antigen detection reagent apply for registration. ecns.cn Two manufacturers for COVID-19 antigen detection reagent from Hefei applied for registration qualification to enter the market on Wednesday.
(2022-03-18). Italia decreta cese gradual de medidas anticovid. telesurtv.net De acuerdo con las autoridades sanitarias, la inmunización contra la Covid-19 fue primordial para superar el estado de emergencia del país.
(2022-03-18). Xi requires swift containment of latest COVID-19 outbreaks. ecns.cn
(2022-03-18). Shanghai commences mass testing of residents for COVID-19. ecns.cn Shanghai on Friday began mass testing in areas deemed to have low risk of COVID-19 exposure so as to identify potential infections, according the municipal health authorities. The mass testing will last till Sunday.
(2022-03-18). Shanghai authorities move to prevent large gatherings for Qingming Festival. ecns.cn The Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau on Friday advised residents to stagger their visits to cemeteries and funeral homes during the Qingming Holiday from April 3 to 5 to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
(2022-03-18). Three years since the Christchurch terror attack. wsws.org Three years after far-right terrorist Brenton Tarrant killed 51 Muslims, the policies of the Australian and New Zealand governments—including support for war and allowing COVID-19 to spread—continue to fuel the growth of the extreme right.
(2022-03-18). Cuba reporta 742 nuevos casos de COVID-19 y un fallecido. cubadebate.cu Al cierre del día de ayer, 17 de marzo, se encuentran ingresados un total de 8 363 pacientes, sospechosos 5 579, en vigilancia 25 y confirmados activos 2 759.Para la COVID-19 se realizaron un total de 12 891 muestras para la vigilancia en el día, resultando positivas 742, para 5,8% de positividad. El país acumula 13 285 025 muestras realizadas y 1 079 853 positivas (8,1%).
(2022-03-18). US Company Metabiota Links Biolabs in Africa and Ukraine to the Pentagon's DTRA. libya360.wordpress.com Rhoda Wilson Ironically, our government used Ukraine to distract from the atrocities committed at home with the creation of Covid and the response to it. However, it appears that the focus on Ukraine might very well bring attention right back to the origins of the last catalysing global event they seek to erase from our…
(2022-03-18). Under a strict Zero-COVID strategy, new infections in China turn sharply lower. wsws.org Since implementing a strict lockdown across several cities and provinces with the mobilization of all efforts to stem the tide of infections, China has reversed the rise in cases in only a few weeks.
(2022-03-18). COVID-19 antigen self-testing kits appear at pharmacies, online platforms. ecns.cn COVID-19 antigen home-testing kits have started to mushroom at drug stores and e-commerce platforms in China, as the country is resolute in taking stricter and swifter measures to stem new infections.
(2022-03-18). Venezuela recibe casi 5.000.000 de vacunas anticovid de Covax. telesurtv.net Venezuela mantiene en las jornadas reciente un control en los contagios, con solo 309 casos en las últimas 24 horas.
(2022-03-18). Science Saturday: Big data helps in understanding asthma biologic use, outcomes. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 25 million Americans have asthma, and that number is increasing every year. In the last 10 years, a number of new medications have become available. Collectively referred to as 'biologics,' these therapies are made to target very specific parts of the body and its immune system. Although they each have different targets, they all are designed to prevent the inflammation that leads to asthma exacerbation. However, it appears…
(2022-03-18). Consumer Health: What is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, also called hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, is a group of inherited disorders that affects an estimated 150,000 people in the U.S., according to the National Library of Medicine. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease causes nerve damage mostly in the peripheral nerves of the arms and legs. This nerve damage results in smaller, weaker muscles. You also may experience loss of sensation and muscle contractions, and difficulty walking. Foot deformities, such as hammertoes and high arches,…
(2022-03-18). Science Saturday: Mayo Clinic develops automated system to accelerate diagnoses for patients with rare diseases. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Mayo Clinic researchers are working to accelerate the diagnoses of rare diseases and renew hope for patients whose symptoms have defied an explanation ‚Äï‚ÄØsometimes for years or even decades.‚ÄØ The team of genomics experts has developed an automated system called RENEW for tracking new scientific knowledge from around the world of pathogenic genetic variants and applying it to Mayo Clinic patients with rare and undiagnosed diseases. RENEW stands for reanalysis of negative whole-exome/genome data. "We're…
(2022-03-18). Alzheimer's disease: cognitive decline prominent indicator of life expectancy. peoplesdispatch.org A recent study tried to find the biggest factors that determine the life expectancy of an Alzheimer's patient and could be helpful to healthcare providers in making a proper assistance plan…
(2022-03-18). Young girl with rare disease gets life-changing diagnosis and targeted therapy at Mayo Clinic. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Rare Disease Day raises awareness of the 30 million people in the U.S. who have a rare disease. Araeya Sell, 13, has spent much of her childhood visiting her health care team and in the hospital. She has endured countless blood draws, scans, procedures and a surgery ‚Äï all in the search for answers to her complex symptoms. "It started in kindergarten when Araeya just kept getting bladder infections," says her mother, Nicole Sell. "Her…
(2022-03-18). Mayo Clinic Minute: What you can eat to avoid kidney stones. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org March is National Kidney Month, a time to raise awareness about your kidney health and generate support for those affected by conditions, including kidney stones, kidney infections and kidney disease. It's estimated that 1 in 10 people will get a kidney stone in his or her lifetime. Kidney stones are not only painful, but they can lead to serious complications that may require hospitalization and even surgery. The good news is kidney stones are preventable,…
(2022-03-18). Mayo Clinic Q and A: Treatment of peripheral artery disease depends on severity of symptoms. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am in my early 50s, and I enjoy hiking and biking. I was active until leg pain brought me to my doctor. I was diagnosed with a blockage of the artery behind my right knee. What is this condition, and what treatments are available? ANSWER: Your condition, called peripheral artery disease, is a common problem in which narrowed arteries reduce the amount of blood that reaches the limbs. The type of blocked artery…
(2022-03-18). Syria's Assad Made Breakthrough Visit To UAE, Met With Crown Prince. southfront.org 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Source: the Syrian Presidency Office. | In a surprise announcement, Syria revealed on March 18 that President Bashar al-Assad had visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was the first visit by President Assad to an Araba state since the outbreak of the war in Syria more than eleven years ago. | During the surprise visit, President Assad met with UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Shatie in Abu Dhabi.
(2022-03-18). Homicidal drives: U.S. dreams of killing Putin. mronline.org 
Wars disturb and delude. The Ukraine conflict is no exception. Misinformation is cantering through press accounts and media dispatches with feverish spread.
(2022-03-18). Work and production resume in South China. ecns.cn Shenzhen, Guangdong province has restored its normal working order and production starting Friday after the city achieved a zero-infection rate, authorities said in a statement on Thursday night.
(2022-03-18). Another flight carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrives safely. ecns.cn A temporary flight carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrived in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Friday morning.
(2022-03-18). 'We Used to Have Everything': Western Conservation Models Threaten Indigenous Rights, Says New Report. towardfreedom.org The report, "Reconciling Conservation and Global Biodiversity Goals with Community Land Rights in Asia," comes ahead of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference. To be held next month in Kunming, China, the conference is expected to adopt…