Last Chance to Save the Euro?
Marshall Auerback | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-10
After a faulty start to the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union members appear to be getting their act together, as they all appear to have abandoned ruinous slash-and-burn austerity policies (including budget cuts to health care, education and other social services) in order to cope with the onset of a global depression. At least that's…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/10/last-chance-to-save-the-euro/
University workers must not accept wage cuts in exchange for 'job security'
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-04-10
The government, university bosses and national officials of the National Tertiary Education Union are combining to attack uni workers' pay and conditions.
mronline.org/2020/04/10/university-workers-must-not-accept-wage-cuts-in-exchange-for-job-security/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=university-workers-must-not-accept-wage-cuts-in-exchange-for-job-security
Convalescent Plasma: A Therapy for COVID-19?
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-10
To develop a treatment for patients with COVID-19, researchers around the world are steadfastly exploring numerous angles, including testing existing antiviral drugs and new compounds. One potential treatment that has garnered attention is known as convalescent plasma therapy. The approach involves giving patients an infusion of antibody-rich plasma from people who have recovered from an infection …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/convalescent-plasma-a-therapy-for-covid-19/
Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: COVID-19 update
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-10
On today's Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, shares the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland discusses antibody testing, immunity, and how the scientific and research communities are collaborating to fight this disease. Click the player below: Mayo Clinic Q&A is available …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-qa-podcast-covid-19-update/
New guidance to support innovators fighting COVID-19
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-04-10
Imperial researchers have set out key regulations innovators must comply with when designing and building technologies safely to tackle COVID-19.
imperial.ac.uk/news/196795/new-guidance-support-innovators-fighting-covid-19
Venezuela Pres Maduro's Message to American people
repost | indybay.org | 2020-04-10
Oil rich Venezuela is again threatened with invasion, by Nazi Trump, with no opposition from any Democrat, sending an armada to Venezuela's shores, in the middle of a pandemic, under the obviously false pretext of drug-pushing, which the world knows Venezuela does not do. The democratically elected government of Nicolas Maduro has sent an open letter to the American people. See www.globalresearch.ca/letter-president-m……
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/07/18832148.php
Science Saturday: The importance of antibody testing in addressing COVID-19
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org | 2020-04-10
If there's one thing the world has learned so far in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's the important role of testing for the disease. The ability to know who has the virus and who doesn't provides critical information for people and entire regions. Early testing involved collecting cells from the back of the …
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/science-saturday-the-importance-of-antibody-testing-in-addressing-covid-19/
Will Covid-19 Spur a Peoples' Bailout for the World's Poorest?
Adam Parsons | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-10
The question is whether Covid-19 will awaken us to the stark inequalities of our world, or does it simply represent a new cause of impoverishment for the vast swathes of humanity who have long been disregarded by the public's conscience? *** Since the beginning of 2020, we've entered an extraordinary new era. There is still…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/10/will-covid-19-spur-a-peoples-bailout-for-the-worlds-poorest/
The Pataphysics of Pandemic
Joseph Natoli | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-10
Pataphysics: the science of imaginary solutions This illness doesn't believe in American Exceptionalism or that reality is a fungible quotient. Donald Trump and his narcissistic mental illness is an entirely expected effect from this model. That idea that reality isn't a firm thing and problems aren't to be solved, but molded and managed to what…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/10/the-pataphysics-of-pandemic/
Cuban Medical Science in the Service of Humanity
Helen Yaffe | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-10
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…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/10/cuban-medical-science-in-the-service-of-humanity/
Repatriation of Indian pilgrims, students in Qom ongoing
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-10
TEHRAN, Apr. 10 (MNA)
Russian Genomic Engineer Has Theory About When COVID-19 Patient Zero Was Infected
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-10
As the planet continues to reel from the health-related and economic ramifications of the new coronavirus, scientists have continued their search to find out more about the first case of the virus's transmission to a human being.
sputniknews.com/science/202004101078907833-russian-genomic-engineer-has-theory-about-when-covid-19-patient-zero-was-infected/
Ancient Volcano Eruptions that Killed Almost 90 Percent of Species Offer Warning on Global Warming
sputniknews.com | 2020-04-10
Life on Earth has faced several catastrophic mass extinction events in the last 500 million years that killed off 75 – 90 per cent of all species on Earth, with the events triggering these cataclysms possibly able to send a message to mankind today.
sputniknews.com/science/202004101078908025-ancient-volcano-eruptions-that-killed-almost-90-percent-of-species-offer-warning-on-global-warming/
Pakistani students in Wuhan emerge from lockdown, far from home and with psychological scars
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-10
For more than a thousand Pakistani students stranded in the Chinese province of Hubei a gruelling lockdown lifted this week, but they must now decide whether to try to return to their home country where cases of coronavirus are rising rapidly.Mir Hassan, a PhD computer architecture student in Wuhan, is desperate to get home to his mother after his father died in February from a heart ailment, their last contact him pleading for his son to come home."I want to go home because this is my motherland … every day I call my mother she is crying," he said.In Pakistan, cases are increasing, standing at more than 4,000…
yenisafak.com/en/world/pakistani-students-in-wuhan-emerge-from-lockdown-far-from-home-and-with-psychological-scars-3516572
Covid-19 to plunge half a billion people into poverty
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-04-09
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
The Science Is Clear on How to Beat This Pandemic
Gregg Gonsalves | thenation.com | 2020-04-09
The Science Is Clear on How to Beat This Pandemic…
thenation.com/article/society/coronavirus-endgame-consensus-experts/
CDC Deletes Hydroxychloroquine Guidance as Study Hyped by Trump Is Questioned
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-04-09
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday quietly removed bizarre guidelines for using the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus. The unproven treatment has been repeatedly hyped by President Donald Trump in spite of the warnings of Dr. Anthony Fauci. | The CDC published "highly unusual" dosing guidance based on "unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science" last month amid pressure on federal health officials from Trump,…
truthout.org/articles/cdc-deletes-hydroxychloroquine-guidance-as-study-hyped-by-trump-is-questioned/
'Anybody with conscience opposes anti-Iran sanctions'
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-09
TEHRAN, Apr. 09 (MNA)
FM spox expresses regret over Hungary's expelling 17 Iranian students
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-04-09
TEHRAN, Apr. 09 (MNA)
Analysis of Britain's different coronavirus counting measures shows far higher deaths
Tom Coburg | thecanary.co | 2020-04-09
The number of deaths caused by coronavirus (Covid-19) is far greater than is being given out in the daily briefings, recent analysis shows. Many of these additional deaths are of older citizens.How the coronavirus deaths figures are made available: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces figures that are for England and Wales only. It says they are "released every Tuesday at 9: 30am and relate to the week that ended 11 days prior". The Department of Health and Social Care…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/04/09/analysis-of-britains-different-coronavirus-counting-measures-shows-far-higher-deaths/
Nearly three in 10 firms cut jobs due to pandemic before the lockdown even kicked in
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-09
Almost three in 10 businesses cut jobs in the face of the coronavirus pandemic prior to the lockdown, according to official statisticians.The Office for National Statistics said 29% of the 4,598 businesses it surveyed said they had to temporarily reduce staff numbers during the period from March 9 to March 22.It added that 40% of businesses surveyed said they were confident they could continue operating during the pandemic, based on their experience over the same period, which was before the Government-mandated lockdown.The survey also revealed that 47% of firms reported that their turnover was lower than normal…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/04/09/nearly-three-in-10-firms-cut-jobs-due-to-pandemic-before-the-lockdown-even-kicked-in/
New COVID-19 project will use the power of smartphones to search for treatments
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-04-08
Imperial researchers will look for potential new treatments for COVID-19 using the computing power of people's smartphones.
imperial.ac.uk/news/196733/new-covid-19-project-will-power-smartphones
66,000 UK deaths projected by 'Institute' has 95 per cent 'uncertainty' value
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-04-08
By TruePublica: There are many headlines in a range of national newspapers across the spectrum reporting that Britain could see as many as 66,000 COVID-19 deaths during the first wave of the current pandemic. This is new research published Tuesday (07/04), effectively making the outbreak in Britain by far the deadliest in Europe. In fact, …
truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/66000-uk-deaths-projected-by-institute-has-95-per-cent-uncertainty-value/
Scientists find how Covid-19 tricks its way into the human body
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-04-08
The virus that causes Covid-19 acts like a "wolf in sheep's clothing" by using sugars to trick its way into the human body, according to new research.Scientists at the University of Southampton have created a model of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid-19 which reveals how it disguises itself to enter human cells undetected.But they found that the virus is not as heavily protected as some others such as HIV.The team, led by Professor Max Crispin, says the model will provide "crucial and encouraging" information for scientists creating a vaccine.Prof Crispin explained that the Sars-CoV-2 virus has a larg…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2020/04/08/scientists-find-how-covid-19-tricks-its-way-into-the-human-body/
Will Covid-19 spur a Peoples' Bailout for the World's Poorest?
Adam W. Parsons | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-04-08
Image credit: Giacomo Carra on Unsplash The question is whether Covid-19 will awaken us to the stark inequalities of our world, or does it simply represent a new cause of impoverishment for the vast swathes of humanity who have long been disregarded by the public's conscience? ***** Since the beginning of 2020, we've entered an …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/04/will-covid-19-spur-a-peoples-bailout-for-the-worlds-poorest/
Gratitude pours in for Imperial staff and students during COVID-19
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-04-08
Staff and students at Imperial College London have said a special thank you to colleagues and classmates during the COVID-19 outbreak.
imperial.ac.uk/news/196777/gratitude-pours-imperial-staff-students-during
Imperial sails through to semi-finals of University Challenge
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-04-08
Imperial students Brandon, Caleb, Richard and Conor have reached the semi-finals of BBC Two's popular quiz show University Challenge.
imperial.ac.uk/news/196753/imperial-sails-through-semi-finals-university-challenge
Deaths of Inequality: AOC on Black and Latinx Communities at Epicenter of Epicenter of the Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-07
As COVID-19 deaths spike in African-American and immigrant communities, almost a third of New York City's infections are in Queens, one of the most diverse places in the world, and many in the hardest-hit neighborhoods are undocumented and working-class. We speak with Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the neighborhoods at the epicenter of the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, about how the Trump administration's response to the pandemic is causing "deaths of incompetence," "deaths of science denial" and "deaths of inequality."
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/7/aoc_corona…
SDS pushes University of Utah on COVID-19 after victory on counselors
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-04-07
Salt Lake City, UT – Every victory comes with new challenges and new setbacks. Organizers with Students for a Democratic Society are learning that lesson in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as they start a new struggle for hazard pay as well as refunds for fees and tuition. | SDS organizers left the University of Utah for spring break in high spirits after the school met their demands for more mental health counselors, a demand they had been making for months. When the promised new counselors are hired, the school will finally be in compliance with national guidelines on the counselor-to-student ratio. | Celebr…
fightbacknews.org/2020/4/7/sds-pushes-university-utah-covid-19-after-victory-counselors
How can the world counter COVID-19 online? UN issues hackers' challenge to CodeTheCurve
news.un.org | 2020-04-06
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is inviting young innovators, data scientists and designers throughout the world
Why Do Economists Have Such a Hard Time Imagining Open Source Biomedical Research?
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-04-06
It seems more than a bit bizarre, but in a discussion of alternative to patents for financing the development of new drugs and vaccines, publicly funded open-source research is not mentioned. This is peculiar since so much of the research into treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus are in effect being open-sourced, with researchers posting …
cepr.net/why-do-economists-have-such-a-hard-time-imagining-open-source-biomedical-research/
The Length of the Shutdowns Will be Determined by Donald Trump, not Science
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-04-06
Many people are thinking about policy through this crisis as though the country will be largely shut down for many months. This is not going to happen. The length of this shutdown will be determined by Donald Trump, not science, and he is not going to allow a shutdown of many months regardless of what …
cepr.net/the-length-of-the-shutdowns-will-be-determined-by-donald-trump-not-science/
[Research Paper] Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing surgeries during the incubation period of COVID-19 infection
Shaoqing Lei, Fang Jiang, Wating Su, Chang Chen, Jingli Chen, Wei Mei, Li-Ying Zhan, Yifan Jia, Liangqing Zhang, Danyong Liu, Zhong-Yuan Xia, Zhengyuan Xia | thelancet.com | 2020-04-04
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%.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30075-4/fulltext?rss=yes
"There Aren't Enough Tests": As Pandemic Intensifies, Global South Prepares for the Worst
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-04-02
After devastating China, Europe and the United States, the coronavirus pandemic is now intensifying across the Global South. The United Nations warns the pandemic is poised to destroy fragile economies in poor nations, decimating food security, education and human rights. We speak with Yanis Ben Amor, assistant professor of global health and microbiological sciences at Columbia University and executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute.
www.democracynow.org/2020/4/2/yanis_ben_…
[Research Paper] Survey of major trauma centre preparedness for mass casualty incidents in Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand
Belinda J. Gabbe, William Veitch, Kate Curtis, Kate Martin, David Gomez, Ian Civil, Chris Moran, Warwick J. Teague, Andrew J.A. Holland, Fiona Lecky, Mark Fitzgerald, Avery Nathens, Anthony Joseph | thelancet.com | 2020-04-02
The disaster preparedness of MTCs was high for communication, safety and security but there was clear need for improvement in other areas including surge capacity, human resources and post-disaster recovery.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30066-3/fulltext?rss=yes
The Italian war-like measures to fight coronavirus spreading: Re-open closed hospitals now
Alessandro Miani, Ernesto Burgio, Prisco Piscitelli, Renato Lauro, Annamaria Colao | thelancet.com | 2020-03-27
As recently highlighted by The Lancet, the Covid-19 outbreak started in Northern Italy has shocked Europe, while it has been questioned if China benefits from an authoritarian advantage in disease response [1,2]. In Italy, after the shutdown of the educational system (schools and Universities will remain closed at least for one month) and the collapse of the touristic sector (90% of travels and reservations cancelled), the Government officially locked down residents of all the region of Milan (Lombardia) and other 11 provinces.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30064-X/fulltext?rss=yes
[Correspondence] Experts' request to the Spanish Government: move Spain towards complete lockdown
Oriol Mitjà , Àlex Arenas, Xavier Rodó, Aurelio Tobias, Joe Brew, José M Benlloch, on behalf of 62 signatories | thelancet.com | 2020-03-27
We would like to express our concern about the limited capacity of actions taken by the Spanish Government to successfully control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak and end the exponential growth phase of new cases. The measures taken so far, consisting primarily of partial restriction mobility, are in the right direction, although some researchers have warned about the pressure placed on the building blocks of the health system.1…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30753-4/fulltext?rss=yes
[Research Paper] A phase 1b randomized study of the safety and immunological responses to vaccination with H4:IC31, H56:IC31, and BCG revaccination in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-uninfected adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa
Linda-Gail Bekker, One Dintwe, Andrew Fiore-Gartland, Keren Middelkoop, Julia Hutter, Anthony Williams, April K. Randhawa, Morten Ruhwald, Ingrid Kromann, Peter L. Andersen, Carlos A. DiazGranados, Kathryn T. Rutkowski, Dereck Tait, Maurine D. Miner, Erica Andersen-Nissen, Stephen C. De Rosa, Kelly E. Seaton, Georgia D. Tomaras, M. Juliana McElrath, Ann Ginsberg, James G. Kublin, HVTN 602 | thelancet.com | 2020-03-18
BCG revaccination administered as a single dose ID and both H4: IC31 and H56: IC31 administered as 2 doses IM had acceptable safety profiles in healthy, QFT-negative, previously BCG-vaccinated adolescents. Characterization of the assays and the immunogenicity of these vaccines may help to identify valuable markers of protection for upcoming immune correlates analyses of C-040-404 and future TB vaccine efficacy trials.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30057-2/fulltext?rss=yes
[Correspondence] COVID-19: the need for continuous medical education and training
Li Li, Qianghong Xv, Jing Yan | thelancet.com | 2020-03-16
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) moved rapidly through China, and the virus had spread to more than 60 countries and infected nearly 90‚Äà000 patients by March 5, 2020. Based on data for 72‚Äà314 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 14% of people have severe disease, 5% have critical illness, and 2 ∑3% die.1 COVID-19 is not a conventional disease, and rapid changes in the provision of critical care have been needed to meet the needs of patients. Health emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak can be a huge challenge for critical-care ph…
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30125-9/fulltext?rss=yes
[Comment] Evolving therapies for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis: balancing efficacy and toxicity
Ebrahim Variava, Neil Martinson, Firdaus Nabeemah | thelancet.com | 2020-03-16
Disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a leading global health problem associated with severe morbidity and a high risk of death, despite widespread availability of effective treatment for drug-sensitive tuberculosis. Although drug-resistant tuberculosis had been described for many years, alarming reports over the past decade suggested neither tuberculosis transmission nor virulence was compromised by the selection of tuberculosis drug resistance.1,2 These reports, describing the prognosis of patients with extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis, galvanised global research efforts into improving treatment,…
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30038-2/fulltext?rss=yes
[Research Paper] Association of characteristics of tampon use with menstrual toxic shock syndrome in France
Amaury Billon, Marie-Paule Gustin, Anne Tristan, Thomas Bénet, Julien Berthiller, Claude Alexandre Gustave, Philippe Vanhems, Gerard Lina | thelancet.com | 2020-03-10
Our study suggests that the risk of MTSS was associated with using tampons for more than 6 h, overnight tampon use during sleep, and neither read nor followed tampon insertion instructions in case of reading.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30052-3/fulltext?rss=yes