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US COVID deaths top American World War II casualties
Dec 17, 2020 16:10The United States passed a grim milestone on December 11th as the death toll from coronavirus exceeded the number of Americans killed in combat during World War II.
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As pandemic overwhelms hospitals, 1/3 of Americans live in areas where ICUs close to capacity
Dec 17, 2020 15:13The New York Times reported on Wednesday, December 9th that more than a third of Americans are living in areas where hospitals are running critically short on ICU beds, while one in 10 people are served by medical centers where fewer than 5% of beds are currently available.
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UN report says almost 2 bln depend on health centers without basic water services
Dec 17, 2020 10:32The World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned around 1.8 billion people are at heightened risk of COVID-19 and other diseases because they use or work in health care facilities without basic water services. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General said “Working in a health care facility without water, sanitation and hygiene is akin to sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment.”
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How have philosophers responded to pandemic?
Dec 17, 2020 10:23The coronavirus pandemic is a direct consequence of the imperative for growth at all costs, especially through extractive wealth-concentrating capitalism, and at the expanse of the environment. This should make us all think whether any of us have spent enough time interpreting the world around us, and whether our actions have been preceded by thoughtful consideration and debate.
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Budget toll from virus hits both US Democratic, GOP-led states
Dec 16, 2020 12:23No “blue state bailout” is a rallying cry for many US congressional Republicans as attempts to provide more federal aid to a nation stricken by an ever-worsening coronavirus pandemic remain stuck in neutral. Yet it’s not just Democratic states asking for help amid plunging tax revenue, rising joblessness and a stuttering economy. Plenty of Republican-led states are feeling the pain, too.
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'Money for war': US arms sales soar and bipartisan militarism thrives amid COVID-19 pandemic
Dec 16, 2020 10:41US President Donald Trump on Saturday, December 5th claimed a Democratic-led Senate will "destroy the military through a lack of funding," but Congress last week passed a $740 billion Pentagon budget while Americans await economic relief.
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Trump backs herd immunity and calls millions contracting COVID “terrific”
Dec 16, 2020 10:35Promoting natural herd immunity, which Trump and others in his administration have consistently done, would undoubtedly lead to more individuals having to live with serious long-term health issues. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 15.2 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus and as of now, 286,443 individuals have died from COVID-19.
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PFAS chemical associated with severe COVID-19
Dec 15, 2020 18:19A Danish study found that people with elevated levels of a compound called PFBA were more than twice as likely to have a severe form of COVID-19. PFBA is one of a class of industrial compounds, often called “forever chemicals,” that has come to contaminate soil, water, and food around the world.
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Across US and Europe, pandemic’s grip on economies tightens
Dec 13, 2020 16:45In a worrisome sign of the harm the coronavirus is inflicting in the US, the government said Thursday Dec. 10, that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped last week to 853,000 – the most since September.
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FDA chief reportedly urged by White House to approve Pfizer vaccine or quit
Dec 13, 2020 07:39The White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, has reportedly told the head of the US Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, to authorize Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday or prepare to resign.