democracynow--2020-11-17--Indigenous Communities on the Frontline as Two Climate Change-Fueled Hurricanes Slam Central America

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , as we turn to Central America .
On Monday , Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua ’ s Caribbean Coast as a Category 4 storm , just two weeks after Hurricane Eta devastated communities across the region , killing at least 140 people , leaving hundreds of thousands homeless .
Hurricane Iota is the strongest November hurricane to ever make landfall in Nicaragua .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Puerto Cabezas without power .
Dozens of Indigenous communities in Nicaragua and Honduras were evacuated this weekend .
This is a resident of Puerto Cabezas who sought shelter ahead of the storm .
AMY GOODMAN : Hurricane Iota ’ s devastation comes as much of the Central American region is still reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Eta , which impacted more than 3 million people , displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Guatemala alone .
The back-to-back climate change-fueled hurricanes come amidst the raging coronavirus pandemic .
For more , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has been in touch with people reeling from the hurricanes in Guatemala and has been helping coordinate aid distribution in one of the Indigenous communities impacted by the storm .
He ’ s a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Native American Studies at the University of California , Davis , his forthcoming book tentatively titled The Fourth Invasion : Decolonial Histories , Megaprojects , and Ixil-Maya Resistance in Guatemala .
He ’ s joining us from Las Cruces , New Mexico .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giovanni .
Describe what is happening right now .
GIOVANNI BATZ : Hi .
Well , first , good morning , everyone .
And thank you for having me .
In terms of what ’ s going on in Central America , unfortunately , the news isn ’ t great , obviously , with the hurricanes .
It ’ s caused a lot of damages to , obviously , the most vulnerable populations , which tends to be Indigenous peoples , Afro-descendants and Black communities all across Central America .
So , right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there ’ s been communities that have been severely impacted .
There ’ s been communities that have experienced mudslides .
Roads have been destroyed .
Bridges have been destroyed .
Some communities don ’ t have access to the town centers where they can access healthcare or other necessities .
So , right now , unfortunately , the reality is grim .
On top of that , with the pandemic , the government hasn ’ t been responding adequately enough , so enough aid isn ’ t being provided to people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially now with Iota hitting Central America now .
AMY GOODMAN : So , talk about how climate change is connected to this mass devastation .
GIOVANNI BATZ : Sure , yeah .
So , Indigenous communities have been warning us that climate change is a real thing , right ?
And unfortunately , they tend to be — Indigenous communities tend to be heavily impacted by this .
So , as a result of deforestation , as a result of increasing droughts , people are finding the conditions a lot more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I work , in the Ixil region , a lot of people have argued that climate change has really devastated their communities .
So , the rains are a little bit heavier .
This is causing more mudslides , among other things .
So , you know , it ’ s not just necessarily just climate change , as well .
It ’ s also the arrival of extractivist industries , like hydroelectric plants and dams and mining , which is actually making the situation a lot more worse .
So , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region .
The Ixil region was heavily impacted during the Guatemalan civil war between 1960 and 1996 .
They experienced 114 massacres .
And here in the Ixil region , they ’ re experiencing the arrival of megaprojects , which they refer to as the new invasion .
And one of the reasons why they call it the new invasion is because these are foreign-owned , imposed extractivist industry projects , that , again , create environmental degradation .
So , right now one of the things that we ’ re looking at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reduce CO2 .
They will propose hydroelectric plants and dams as a form of green energy .
But when you look at the local situations , these dams , these megaprojects are actually causing a lot of environmental damage .
So , the hydroelectric plant that I look at in my work and in that forthcoming book is the Palo Viejo hydroelectric plant , which was constructed by an Italian corporation by the name of Enel Green Power .
Now , Enel Green Power will say that this plant is reducing CO2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change .
But when you look at the local realities , they ’ ve actually diverted the rivers through the construction of four diversion dams .
They ’ ve flooded one of the rivers .
They ’ ve actually contaminated the rivers to the point where after the river passes through this hydroelectric plant , the river has been visibly contaminated .
The fish have died off .
Children who bathe in the river come out with rashes , warts , among other things .
These hydroelectric plants , for instance , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Indigenous communities will tell you that they ’ re actually causing social division , further militarization and environmental degradation .
So , when we think about climate change , we also have to take into consideration these extractivist industries and how they ’ re only further exasperating an already dire situation .
AMY GOODMAN : Let ’ s go to Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei speaking Monday about the impact of climate change and the powerful storms on Guatemala ’ s economy .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , petitioning the Trump administration for temporary protective status — that ’ s TPS — for Guatemalans in the U.S. due to the destruction of Eta .
Can you talk about your thoughts on this ?
I mean , years ago , after Hurricane Mitch , Hondurans , as well as Nicaraguans , got TPS as a result of the devastation .
GIOVANNI BATZ : Yeah , absolutely .
Any sort of protections for migrants is definitely welcome .
TPS obviously isn ’ t perfect , in the sense that there needs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tends to be a very ambiguous situation , where people live uncertain lives .
I mean , Trump is trying to get rid of TPS .
And that places people who did receive TPS , Salvadorans and Nicaraguans , among others , in a very precarious situation .
So , any legal protections for migrants is definitely welcome .
But the U.S. needs to stop deporting people , first and foremost .
Just in the first two weeks of November , for instance , after Eta hit , the U.S. continues to deport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were deported between November 1st and November 12th .
Two hundred and eight of those were unaccompanied minors , or , in other words , 28 % of those being deported .
So , while TPS would be great , it needs to be perfected , in the sense of allowing folks to gain legal citizenship .
We also have to help asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border .
Guatemala itself is morally bankrupt , in the sense that , you know , there is a reason why people flee Guatemala , right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence , community leaders who are being persecuted for their activism against megaprojects , among other things .
So , Guatemala also has to improve the situation in Guatemala , because there is a reason why people are fleeing .
AMY GOODMAN : The Trump administration has virtually ended asylum .
And when you talk about people being deported , a number of them have COVID-19 .
But also the criminalization of climate refugees , Giovanni ?
GIOVANNI BATZ : Yeah , absolutely .
Again , when we think about climate refugees , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of people who are being displaced as a result of these natural disasters .
But , unfortunately , Indigenous communities and those who rise up to engage in the social justice movement , fight for environmental justice , these are the people who are being persecuted .
So , in my work , I also analyze community leaders who are being persecuted , again , by the state , by corporations , among other sources .
I ’ ll provide one example .
There ’ s two friends here in Ciudad Juárez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where I ’ m currently located , in Las Cruces : Francisco Chávez and Gaspar Cobo Corio .
They were two activists from the Ixil region of Nebaj who were forced out of their communities due to their activism .
So , for instance , Gaspar , who is an anti-mining activist and protested against megaprojects , received death threats .
Right ?
So , now he found himself — now him and Francisco , who was a witness against Ríos Montt during the genocide trial a couple years ago , have sought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been there over a year as a result of Trump ’ s “ Stay in Mexico ” policy .
So , living in Ciudad Juárez isn ’ t the best scenario for them .
Migrants there tend to receive death threats .
They ’ re vulnerable to a lot of criminal activity .
So , unfortunately , the Trump administration is responsible for the deaths and the suffering for a lot of migrants here in the U.S.-Mexico border .
AMY GOODMAN : Giovanni , let me ask you about the incoming Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama and Joe Biden as vice president , though their jargon , their language was extremely different when it came to immigrants , when it came to deportations , they deported more immigrants than , I think , most presidents combined in the past — millions and millions and millions of people coming into this country .
What do you expect of the incoming Biden-Harris administration ?
GIOVANNI BATZ : We have to remember that Biden and Trump are two sides of the same coin , which is U.S. imperialism and intervention , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While personally I was excited that Trump lost , obviously , the Biden administration , we have to be careful .
As you mentioned , the Obama administration — Obama is known as the “ deporter-in-chief ” — right ?
— as a result of his reputation within the migrant community .
But one of the things that a lot of people aren ’ t aware of is that during the Obama administration , in order to combat migration coming from Central America , specifically unaccompanied minors , Biden and Obama designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially a $ 1 billion initiative in order to promote security , good governance and international investment to Central America in order to try to curb migration .
Biden spearheaded that , beginning in 2015 .
And what ’ s interesting is , once Trump took over , it was one of the few Obama-era initiatives that he actually didn ’ t get rid of .
So , it was a project — again , this is a U.S. interventionist policy .
This is where we have the introduction of Central America being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” which is an extremely militaristic term .
So , I always encourage folks not to use that concept of the “ Northern Triangle , ” because , again , it ’ s within this kind of U.S. interventionist logic that Central America needs saving from the U.S .
So , under the Alliance for Prosperity , we ’ ve seen increased militarization in Central America , aiding very corrupt Central American presidents .
The Honduran president right now , Juan Orlando , his brother was convicted of criminal activity with narcotraffickers here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been implicated in that .
Former President Jimmy Morales , who was being investigated for corruption by a U.N. watchdog group called CICIG , basically ended CICIG .
He kicked them out .
He actually used military vehicles donated by the U.S. Department of Defense to intimidate human rights activists and other people who were investigating him for corruption .
So , I think , with Biden , we expect more of the same in terms of U.S. foreign policy in Central America .
GIOVANNI BATZ : And , unfortunately — mm-hmm ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ And when we think about the other — so , with Biden , you know , he ’ s going to promote neoliberal policies through international investment , which is basically more megaprojects and sweatshops .
Looking at the case of Palo Viejo , which I investigate , when we think about these megaprojects , we always have to ask , “ Development for who ?
” In Cotzal , where I do my work , only 37 % of the population has access to electricity .
This Palo Viejo hydroelectric plant generates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in profits .
They only leave less than $ 300,000 to the municipality , which is less than a percent .
So , again , when we think about these megaprojects , which the Biden administration will definitely promote , we always have to ask , “ Development for who ?
Who does it benefit ?
” It doesn ’ t benefit Indigenous communities , and it only benefits corporations .
AMY GOODMAN : Giovanni Batz , I want to thank you for being with us , postdoctoral fellow in the Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of California , Davis , his upcoming book tentatively titled The Fourth Invasion : Decolonial Histories , Megaprojects , and Ixil-Maya Resistance in Guatemala .
That does it for our show .
Democracy Now !
is produced with Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Libby Rainey , Nermeen Shaikh , María Taracena , Carla Wills , Tami Woronoff , Charina Nadura , Sam Alcoff , Tey-Marie Astudillo , John Hamilton , Robby Karran , Hany Massoud and Adriano Contreras .
Our general manager is Julie Crosby .
Special thanks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Powell , Mike Di Filippo , Miguel Nogueira , Hugh Gran , Denis Moynihan , David Prude and Dennis McCormick .
Stay safe .
Wear a mask .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, as we turn to Central America. On Monday, Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast as a Category 4 storm, just two weeks after Hurricane Eta devastated communities across the region, killing at least 140 people, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Hurricane Iota is the strongest November hurricane to ever make landfall in Nicaragua. It left much of the coastal city of Puerto Cabezas without power. Dozens of Indigenous communities in Nicaragua and Honduras were evacuated this weekend. This is a resident of Puerto Cabezas who sought shelter ahead of the storm.
PUERTO CABEZAS RESIDENT: [translated] It was on course to the town, and we could die. That’s why we have to come here to shelter. I’m now sad because over there, in the cape, there is nothing to eat at all. All the plantations have come down.
AMY GOODMAN: Hurricane Iota’s devastation comes as much of the Central American region is still reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Eta, which impacted more than 3 million people, displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Guatemala alone. The back-to-back climate change-fueled hurricanes come amidst the raging coronavirus pandemic.
For more, we’re joined by Giovanni Batz, who has been in touch with people reeling from the hurricanes in Guatemala and has been helping coordinate aid distribution in one of the Indigenous communities impacted by the storm. He’s a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis, his forthcoming book tentatively titled The Fourth Invasion: Decolonial Histories, Megaprojects, and Ixil-Maya Resistance in Guatemala. He’s joining us from Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us, Giovanni. Describe what is happening right now.
GIOVANNI BATZ: Hi. Well, first, good morning, everyone. And thank you for having me.
In terms of what’s going on in Central America, unfortunately, the news isn’t great, obviously, with the hurricanes. It’s caused a lot of damages to, obviously, the most vulnerable populations, which tends to be Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and Black communities all across Central America. So, right now as a result of Hurricane Eta, there’s been communities that have been severely impacted. There’s been communities that have experienced mudslides. Roads have been destroyed. Bridges have been destroyed. Some communities don’t have access to the town centers where they can access healthcare or other necessities. So, right now, unfortunately, the reality is grim. On top of that, with the pandemic, the government hasn’t been responding adequately enough, so enough aid isn’t being provided to people. So the situation is extremely concerning, especially now with Iota hitting Central America now.
AMY GOODMAN: So, talk about how climate change is connected to this mass devastation.
GIOVANNI BATZ: Sure, yeah. So, Indigenous communities have been warning us that climate change is a real thing, right? And unfortunately, they tend to be — Indigenous communities tend to be heavily impacted by this. So, as a result of deforestation, as a result of increasing droughts, people are finding the conditions a lot more severe, right? So, where I work, in the Ixil region, a lot of people have argued that climate change has really devastated their communities. So, the rains are a little bit heavier. This is causing more mudslides, among other things.
So, you know, it’s not just necessarily just climate change, as well. It’s also the arrival of extractivist industries, like hydroelectric plants and dams and mining, which is actually making the situation a lot more worse. So, I work in a place called the Ixil region. The Ixil region was heavily impacted during the Guatemalan civil war between 1960 and 1996. They experienced 114 massacres. And here in the Ixil region, they’re experiencing the arrival of megaprojects, which they refer to as the new invasion. And one of the reasons why they call it the new invasion is because these are foreign-owned, imposed extractivist industry projects, that, again, create environmental degradation. So, right now one of the things that we’re looking at is that governments will propose hydroelectric projects to reduce CO2. They will propose hydroelectric plants and dams as a form of green energy. But when you look at the local situations, these dams, these megaprojects are actually causing a lot of environmental damage.
So, the hydroelectric plant that I look at in my work and in that forthcoming book is the Palo Viejo hydroelectric plant, which was constructed by an Italian corporation by the name of Enel Green Power. Now, Enel Green Power will say that this plant is reducing CO2, producing green energy and combating climate change. But when you look at the local realities, they’ve actually diverted the rivers through the construction of four diversion dams. They’ve flooded one of the rivers. They’ve actually contaminated the rivers to the point where after the river passes through this hydroelectric plant, the river has been visibly contaminated. The fish have died off. Children who bathe in the river come out with rashes, warts, among other things. These hydroelectric plants, for instance, are viewed as a solution for climate change, but Indigenous communities will tell you that they’re actually causing social division, further militarization and environmental degradation. So, when we think about climate change, we also have to take into consideration these extractivist industries and how they’re only further exasperating an already dire situation.
AMY GOODMAN: Let’s go to Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei speaking Monday about the impact of climate change and the powerful storms on Guatemala’s economy.
PRESIDENT ALEJANDRO GIAMMATTEI: [translated] Every time there’s a natural disaster as a result of climate change, we acquire debt. And we have come out to knock on the doors of the generous, banks and multilateral organizations, that give us higher financing to achieve a reconstruction. This has brought a vicious cycle, where we get into debt, we reconstruct, it gets destroyed, we get into debt, we rebuild, and it gets destroyed again.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s the Guatemalan president. Guatemala is also asking, petitioning the Trump administration for temporary protective status — that’s TPS — for Guatemalans in the U.S. due to the destruction of Eta. Can you talk about your thoughts on this? I mean, years ago, after Hurricane Mitch, Hondurans, as well as Nicaraguans, got TPS as a result of the devastation.
GIOVANNI BATZ: Yeah, absolutely. Any sort of protections for migrants is definitely welcome. TPS obviously isn’t perfect, in the sense that there needs to be a pathway to citizenship. It tends to be a very ambiguous situation, where people live uncertain lives. I mean, Trump is trying to get rid of TPS. And that places people who did receive TPS, Salvadorans and Nicaraguans, among others, in a very precarious situation. So, any legal protections for migrants is definitely welcome.
But the U.S. needs to stop deporting people, first and foremost. Just in the first two weeks of November, for instance, after Eta hit, the U.S. continues to deport folks. There are 740 people who were deported between November 1st and November 12th. Two hundred and eight of those were unaccompanied minors, or, in other words, 28% of those being deported. So, while TPS would be great, it needs to be perfected, in the sense of allowing folks to gain legal citizenship.
We also have to help asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Guatemala itself is morally bankrupt, in the sense that, you know, there is a reason why people flee Guatemala, right? It has to do with structural violence, community leaders who are being persecuted for their activism against megaprojects, among other things. So, Guatemala also has to improve the situation in Guatemala, because there is a reason why people are fleeing.
AMY GOODMAN: The Trump administration has virtually ended asylum. And when you talk about people being deported, a number of them have COVID-19. But also the criminalization of climate refugees, Giovanni?
GIOVANNI BATZ: Yeah, absolutely. Again, when we think about climate refugees, today in Guatemala there’s a lot of people who are being displaced as a result of these natural disasters. But, unfortunately, Indigenous communities and those who rise up to engage in the social justice movement, fight for environmental justice, these are the people who are being persecuted. So, in my work, I also analyze community leaders who are being persecuted, again, by the state, by corporations, among other sources.
I’ll provide one example. There’s two friends here in Ciudad Juárez, less than an hour away from where I’m currently located, in Las Cruces: Francisco Chávez and Gaspar Cobo Corio. They were two activists from the Ixil region of Nebaj who were forced out of their communities due to their activism. So, for instance, Gaspar, who is an anti-mining activist and protested against megaprojects, received death threats. Right? So, now he found himself — now him and Francisco, who was a witness against Ríos Montt during the genocide trial a couple years ago, have sought refuge in Ciudad Juárez. They’ve been there over a year as a result of Trump’s “Stay in Mexico” policy. So, living in Ciudad Juárez isn’t the best scenario for them. Migrants there tend to receive death threats. They’re vulnerable to a lot of criminal activity. So, unfortunately, the Trump administration is responsible for the deaths and the suffering for a lot of migrants here in the U.S.-Mexico border.
AMY GOODMAN: Giovanni, let me ask you about the incoming Biden administration. I mean, under President Obama and Joe Biden as vice president, though their jargon, their language was extremely different when it came to immigrants, when it came to deportations, they deported more immigrants than, I think, most presidents combined in the past — millions and millions and millions of people coming into this country. What do you expect of the incoming Biden-Harris administration?
GIOVANNI BATZ: We have to remember that Biden and Trump are two sides of the same coin, which is U.S. imperialism and intervention, especially in places like in Central America. While personally I was excited that Trump lost, obviously, the Biden administration, we have to be careful. As you mentioned, the Obama administration — Obama is known as the “deporter-in-chief” — right? — as a result of his reputation within the migrant community.
But one of the things that a lot of people aren’t aware of is that during the Obama administration, in order to combat migration coming from Central America, specifically unaccompanied minors, Biden and Obama designed the Alliance for Prosperity, which was initially a $1 billion initiative in order to promote security, good governance and international investment to Central America in order to try to curb migration. Biden spearheaded that, beginning in 2015. And what’s interesting is, once Trump took over, it was one of the few Obama-era initiatives that he actually didn’t get rid of. So, it was a project — again, this is a U.S. interventionist policy. This is where we have the introduction of Central America being portrayed as the “Northern Triangle,” which is an extremely militaristic term. So, I always encourage folks not to use that concept of the “Northern Triangle,” because, again, it’s within this kind of U.S. interventionist logic that Central America needs saving from the U.S.
So, under the Alliance for Prosperity, we’ve seen increased militarization in Central America, aiding very corrupt Central American presidents. The Honduran president right now, Juan Orlando, his brother was convicted of criminal activity with narcotraffickers here in the U.S. He’s also been implicated in that. Former President Jimmy Morales, who was being investigated for corruption by a U.N. watchdog group called CICIG, basically ended CICIG. He kicked them out. He actually used military vehicles donated by the U.S. Department of Defense to intimidate human rights activists and other people who were investigating him for corruption.
So, I think, with Biden, we expect more of the same in terms of U.S. foreign policy in Central America.
AMY GOODMAN: And finally —
GIOVANNI BATZ: And, unfortunately — mm-hmm? Sorry.
AMY GOODMAN: Go ahead, Giovanni.
GIOVANNI BATZ: Yeah. And when we think about the other — so, with Biden, you know, he’s going to promote neoliberal policies through international investment, which is basically more megaprojects and sweatshops. Looking at the case of Palo Viejo, which I investigate, when we think about these megaprojects, we always have to ask, “Development for who?” In Cotzal, where I do my work, only 37% of the population has access to electricity. This Palo Viejo hydroelectric plant generates about $30 million to $40 million in profits. They only leave less than $300,000 to the municipality, which is less than a percent. So, again, when we think about these megaprojects, which the Biden administration will definitely promote, we always have to ask, “Development for who? Who does it benefit?” It doesn’t benefit Indigenous communities, and it only benefits corporations.
AMY GOODMAN: Giovanni Batz, I want to thank you for being with us, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis, his upcoming book tentatively titled The Fourth Invasion: Decolonial Histories, Megaprojects, and Ixil-Maya Resistance in Guatemala.
That does it for our show. Democracy Now! is produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Libby Rainey, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Carla Wills, Tami Woronoff, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, John Hamilton, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud and Adriano Contreras. Our general manager is Julie Crosby. Special thanks to Becca Staley, Miriam Barnard, Paul Powell, Mike Di Filippo, Miguel Nogueira, Hugh Gran, Denis Moynihan, David Prude and Dennis McCormick. Stay safe. Wear a mask. I’m Amy Goodman.


democracynow--2020-11-17--"No End in Sight": 9 Months into Pandemic, Nurses Are Tired, Demoralized & Still Lack Adequate PPE

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month , a new report by National Nurses United , the largest nurses ’ union in the United States , finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE , personal protective equipment , and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get far worse during the flu season .
Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic .
National Nurses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers have died due to COVID-19 — the number could be far higher .
Nurses of color account for half of those deaths , even though they ’ re less than a quarter of the workforce .
This comes as North Dakota ’ s Republican Governor Doug Burgum has called on infected but asymptomatic health workers to keep treating COVID patients .
Meanwhile , in Texas , a state appeals court has blocked El Paso County ’ s shutdown of nonessential businesses that had been implemented to slow a massive outbreak , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general .
After the ruling Friday , National Nurses United held a virtual news conference with a group of registered nurses in El Paso who spoke out against the ruling .
This is Idali Cooper .
IDALI COOPER : In a community that is really — we are the majority , as Hispanic people , and we have been affected the most .
… It is imperative to inform our governor or attorney general that their decisions have dire consequences for my community or for communities of color .
… I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I haven ’ t recovered .
I have to go back to work tomorrow .
I have not recovered .
I feel I ’ ve been napping all week .
And knowing that my patients are being intubated , it ’ s very demoralizing .
And I just want the community to know that it ’ s very important for all of us , even though our governor and attorney general did not do the right decision for our community , that we do what ’ s right for our community regardless of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the adult units , there ’ s not enough nurses for all the patients that are being taken — that need to be taken care of adequately .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s registered nurse Idali Cooper speaking in El Paso Friday , where prisoners are being paid $ 2 an hour to move the bodies of people who have died of COVID-19 to mobile morgues as the number of cases and deaths has completely overwhelmed local hospitals .
For more , we ’ re joined by Jean Ross , acute care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United .
She ’ s in Bloomington , Minnesota .
We welcome you back to Democracy Now !
, Jean .
Talk about what nurses are facing around the country right now , what your report found .
JEAN ROSS : What we found was , if we compare this report , as of October/November , to when we first started at the beginning of the pandemic , things have not gotten better , and in many cases they ’ ve gotten worse .
Nurses still are not getting the PPE that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cohorting , putting COVID-19 patients separate from other patients .
Hospitals still don ’ t have a plan in place for a surge — and we ’ re currently in a surge .
And nurses are reporting feeling more devastated , more sleepless — not hopeless .
We keep our spirits up .
But we do need to see some sort of improvement from our employers , from our government , that we are not seeing right now .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you talk about what the federal government needs to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t providing the PPE , how are they supposed to get them ?
How is it possible that nine months into this pandemic , that there are still not enough tests available , there are still not enough masks available and other protective gear , all over the country ?
What are you demanding of the Trump administration ?
JEAN ROSS : Well , two main things would really help .
One is to fully , fully institute the DPA , the Defense Production Act , that act that came with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country gear up so that we have the amount of PPE that we need .
The other would be a temporary emergency OSHA standard that says , for infectious diseases for this period of time , hospitals , these employers , must give at least this minimum standard of PPE and make sure that there ’ s enough of it .
So , right now we are being told different things by the employers .
Sometimes they say , “ Yes , we have plenty , but we have to keep them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a surge.
” Well , there is a surge , and they ’ re still insisting that many , if not most , nurses reuse equipment that really is supposed to be single-use .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you talk about the mental health of nurses across the country ?
I mean , the devastating fact that , nine months in , we ’ re now talking about some of the worst figures of the entire pandemic for deaths and infections , how do healthcare workers keep going ?
JEAN ROSS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s our job .
I mean , that ’ s what you ’ re prepared to do .
But until this pandemic — and I would say not the pandemic , because we always knew this was at some point inevitable .
But it ’ s the lack of response , the improper response , that has nurses and other healthcare workers really down .
Most of our nurses report , even in their downtime that they get now , they ’ re not sleeping as well .
They ’ re anxious .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so anxious .
And they ’ re anxious about not just passing it on to other people , to their families , to other patients , but the fact that they might not be able to keep going , because it is very devastating to see this amount of death every day , every shift , with what appears to be no end in sight .
AMY GOODMAN : So , let me ask you about North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum , who said that infected nurses and healthcare workers should still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
JEAN ROSS : Yeah , that statement is just unconscionable .
It ’ s so irresponsible .
I understand where he gets it from , though .
Re that , as in many other things , they look to the CDC , and , unfortunately , with requests from the hospital association , employers and others , they have continued to downgrade their guidelines and their recommendations .
But this novel virus , we know one of the things that ’ s unique about it is that you can be completely asymptomatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very effective spreader .
What sense does it make for a nurse to go into the hospital and try to take care people who are ill , albeit with the same disease — doesn ’ t matter — and spread it to others , including her family .
So , it ’ s just — it ’ s irresponsible , and it ’ s something I never thought I would hear — AMY GOODMAN : And let me — AMY GOODMAN : Let me ask you about another study that you ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charging as much as 18 times over their costs .
Your response ?
JEAN ROSS : Yes .
Again , unconscionable , but that seems to be the way in this country .
Up to 18 times .
So , for example , if your true cost — it ’ s called the charge-to-cost ratio , or CCR — if your true cost for your service is $ 100 , they are , in many cases , charging up to $ 1,800 .
And they do it because they can .
AMY GOODMAN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Dakota , where the COVID-19 death rate is among the worst in the world .
Governor Kristi Noem , a close Trump ally , has said she would not enforce a mask mandate even if ordered by future President Joe Biden .
South Dakota ER nurse Jodi Doering says some of her COVID-19 patients refuse to believe that COVID is real — her COVID patients .
In a now-viral thread on Twitter , she wrote , “ These people really think this isn ’ t going to happen to them .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they get intubated.
” This is Doering speaking on CNN .
AMY GOODMAN : I mean , this is astounding .
They are fighting with the nursing staff , saying , “ Why are you wearing that protective gear ?
What I am dying of is not COVID-19.
” And they only stop yelling when they ’ re intubated .
That ’ s South Dakota .
We had a story out of Provo , Utah , also so hard-hit , where people were trying to break into the local hospital , packed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they don ’ t believe that people are in there in ICUs with COVID .
JEAN ROSS : Yeah , I did hear Jodi say that , and I feel so bad for her and for other nurses .
These are things we didn ’ t use to have to contend with .
But that ’ s what happens when people are brainwashed .
And what you hope for , when you know your patient is probably going to die , is the most peaceful death possible in their situation .
That isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s got to be devastating — scary for that patient and devastating for the nurse and the family .
AMY GOODMAN : Final question , and we only have a few seconds : What are you demanding right now , as president of National Nurses United ?
The Biden transition is happening , whether or not Trump is helping with it .
What do you demand happens ?
Because Trump is still there for two months .
That is tens of thousands of people dying in this country .
JEAN ROSS : Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that President-elect Biden and Kamala Harris continue the good fight to try to get into that transitioning .
We know they ’ re doing all the right things right now , putting together the proper people — for once , some sane , rational people who believe in science , the true experts — and listening to them .
This is a step in the right direction .
And continue to put those people in place , so that we push , again , for the PPE , the Defense Production Act , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t come soon enough .
AMY GOODMAN : Jean Ross , we want to thank you for being with us , president of National Nurses United .
When we come back , we look at Central America , devastated by back-to-back climate change-fueled hurricanes just over the last few weeks .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman.
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month, a new report by National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the United States, finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE, personal protective equipment, and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get far worse during the flu season. Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic.
National Nurses United estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19 — the number could be far higher. Nurses of color account for half of those deaths, even though they’re less than a quarter of the workforce.
This comes as North Dakota’s Republican Governor Doug Burgum has called on infected but asymptomatic health workers to keep treating COVID patients.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a state appeals court has blocked El Paso County’s shutdown of nonessential businesses that had been implemented to slow a massive outbreak, after it was challenged by Texas’ attorney general. After the ruling Friday, National Nurses United held a virtual news conference with a group of registered nurses in El Paso who spoke out against the ruling. This is Idali Cooper.
IDALI COOPER: In a community that is really — we are the majority, as Hispanic people, and we have been affected the most. … It is imperative to inform our governor or attorney general that their decisions have dire consequences for my community or for communities of color. … I’m just extremely exhausted emotionally, physically. I haven’t recovered. I have to go back to work tomorrow. I have not recovered. I feel I’ve been napping all week. And knowing that my patients are being intubated, it’s very demoralizing. And I just want the community to know that it’s very important for all of us, even though our governor and attorney general did not do the right decision for our community, that we do what’s right for our community regardless of what they say. Right now in the adult units, there’s not enough nurses for all the patients that are being taken — that need to be taken care of adequately.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s registered nurse Idali Cooper speaking in El Paso Friday, where prisoners are being paid $2 an hour to move the bodies of people who have died of COVID-19 to mobile morgues as the number of cases and deaths has completely overwhelmed local hospitals.
For more, we’re joined by Jean Ross, acute care registered nurse, president of National Nurses United. She’s in Bloomington, Minnesota.
We welcome you back to Democracy Now!, Jean. Talk about what nurses are facing around the country right now, what your report found.
JEAN ROSS: What we found was, if we compare this report, as of October/November, to when we first started at the beginning of the pandemic, things have not gotten better, and in many cases they’ve gotten worse. Nurses still are not getting the PPE that we need. Many hospitals are still not cohorting, putting COVID-19 patients separate from other patients. Hospitals still don’t have a plan in place for a surge — and we’re currently in a surge. And nurses are reporting feeling more devastated, more sleepless — not hopeless. We keep our spirits up. But we do need to see some sort of improvement from our employers, from our government, that we are not seeing right now.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about what the federal government needs to do right now? When you say hospitals aren’t providing the PPE, how are they supposed to get them? How is it possible that nine months into this pandemic, that there are still not enough tests available, there are still not enough masks available and other protective gear, all over the country? What are you demanding of the Trump administration?
JEAN ROSS: Well, two main things would really help. One is to fully, fully institute the DPA, the Defense Production Act, that act that came with wartime where you can have manufacturing in this country gear up so that we have the amount of PPE that we need.
The other would be a temporary emergency OSHA standard that says, for infectious diseases for this period of time, hospitals, these employers, must give at least this minimum standard of PPE and make sure that there’s enough of it. So, right now we are being told different things by the employers. Sometimes they say, “Yes, we have plenty, but we have to keep them under lock and key in case there’s a surge.” Well, there is a surge, and they’re still insisting that many, if not most, nurses reuse equipment that really is supposed to be single-use.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the mental health of nurses across the country? I mean, the devastating fact that, nine months in, we’re now talking about some of the worst figures of the entire pandemic for deaths and infections, how do healthcare workers keep going?
JEAN ROSS: Well, basically, it’s our job. I mean, that’s what you’re prepared to do. But until this pandemic — and I would say not the pandemic, because we always knew this was at some point inevitable. But it’s the lack of response, the improper response, that has nurses and other healthcare workers really down. Most of our nurses report, even in their downtime that they get now, they’re not sleeping as well. They’re anxious. They didn’t use to be so anxious. And they’re anxious about not just passing it on to other people, to their families, to other patients, but the fact that they might not be able to keep going, because it is very devastating to see this amount of death every day, every shift, with what appears to be no end in sight.
AMY GOODMAN: So, let me ask you about North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum, who said that infected nurses and healthcare workers should still continue working if they’re asymptomatic.
JEAN ROSS: Yeah, that statement is just unconscionable. It’s so irresponsible. I understand where he gets it from, though. Re that, as in many other things, they look to the CDC, and, unfortunately, with requests from the hospital association, employers and others, they have continued to downgrade their guidelines and their recommendations. But this novel virus, we know one of the things that’s unique about it is that you can be completely asymptomatic and yet be a spreader, a very effective spreader. What sense does it make for a nurse to go into the hospital and try to take care people who are ill, albeit with the same disease — doesn’t matter — and spread it to others, including her family. So, it’s just — it’s irresponsible, and it’s something I never thought I would hear —
AMY GOODMAN: And let me —
JEAN ROSS: — from a government official.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you about another study that you’ve put out that revealed hospitals may be charging as much as 18 times over their costs. Your response?
JEAN ROSS: Yes. Again, unconscionable, but that seems to be the way in this country. Up to 18 times. So, for example, if your true cost — it’s called the charge-to-cost ratio, or CCR — if your true cost for your service is $100, they are, in many cases, charging up to $1,800. And they do it because they can.
AMY GOODMAN: And I want to go to South Dakota, where the COVID-19 death rate is among the worst in the world. Governor Kristi Noem, a close Trump ally, has said she would not enforce a mask mandate even if ordered by future President Joe Biden. South Dakota ER nurse Jodi Doering says some of her COVID-19 patients refuse to believe that COVID is real — her COVID patients. In a now-viral thread on Twitter, she wrote, “These people really think this isn’t going to happen to them. And then they stop yelling at you when they get intubated.” This is Doering speaking on CNN.
JODI DOERING: Their last dying words are “This can’t be happening. It’s not real.” And when they should be spending time FaceTiming their families, they’re filled with anger and hatred. And it just made me really sad the other night, and I just can’t believe that those are going to be their last thoughts and words.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, this is astounding. They are fighting with the nursing staff, saying, “Why are you wearing that protective gear? What I am dying of is not COVID-19.” And they only stop yelling when they’re intubated. That’s South Dakota. We had a story out of Provo, Utah, also so hard-hit, where people were trying to break into the local hospital, packed to the gills with COVID patients, saying they don’t believe that people are in there in ICUs with COVID.
JEAN ROSS: Yeah, I did hear Jodi say that, and I feel so bad for her and for other nurses. These are things we didn’t use to have to contend with. But that’s what happens when people are brainwashed. And what you hope for, when you know your patient is probably going to die, is the most peaceful death possible in their situation. That isn’t peaceful, and that’s got to be devastating — scary for that patient and devastating for the nurse and the family.
AMY GOODMAN: Final question, and we only have a few seconds: What are you demanding right now, as president of National Nurses United? The Biden transition is happening, whether or not Trump is helping with it. What do you demand happens? Because Trump is still there for two months. That is tens of thousands of people dying in this country.
JEAN ROSS: Well, what we’re asking is that President-elect Biden and Kamala Harris continue the good fight to try to get into that transitioning. We know they’re doing all the right things right now, putting together the proper people — for once, some sane, rational people who believe in science, the true experts — and listening to them. This is a step in the right direction. And continue to put those people in place, so that we push, again, for the PPE, the Defense Production Act, that OSHA standard. It can’t come soon enough.
AMY GOODMAN: Jean Ross, we want to thank you for being with us, president of National Nurses United.
When we come back, we look at Central America, devastated by back-to-back climate change-fueled hurricanes just over the last few weeks. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-11-17--With COVID Vaccines on the Horizon, U.S. Urged to Help Ensure Equitable Distribution Across Globe

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : As coronavirus cases soar across the country and around the globe , the drugmaker Moderna announced Monday its coronavirus vaccine is nearly 95 % effective .
This comes after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced a vaccine last week with 90 % effectiveness .
As the virus has now killed at least 1.2 million people worldwide , the companies say they could offer 20 million doses of the vaccine to people in the United States by sometime next month .
But officials warn the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be a tremendously difficult and lengthy task .
The World Health Organization ’ s immunization director , Katherine O ’ Brien , said Monday that discovering a vaccine was , quote , “ like building a base camp on Mount Everest.
” This comes as the United States recorded nearly 167,000 new cases on Monday , the third-highest daily toll of the pandemic .
Nearly 800 people died of COVID-19 on Monday , bringing the official U.S. toll to nearly 247,000 .
For more on the latest vaccine news , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , by Dr. Saad Omer .
He is director of the Yale Institute for Global Health , professor of infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine and a vaccine researcher .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
It ’ s great to have you with us .
So , let ’ s talk about some numbers .
You had this amazing announcement last week by Pfizer/BioNTech that their vaccine is 90 % effective .
That ’ s followed this week by Moderna ’ s vaccine , Moderna saying the vaccine is 94.5 % effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then I want to talk about two .
That ’ s how we got this information : by two press releases , one from Moderna and one from Pfizer .
So , Dr. Saad Omer , this is unusual , the way this vaccine information is coming out .
These are not peer-reviewed .
They are released by corporations .
As soon as they are released , their stocks skyrocket .
How can we trust this ?
What should we understand ?
What do you understand ?
SAAD OMER : So , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but you ’ re right : We need a little bit more information , and we need a little bit more transparency .
I can understand that they have — they want to get the information out right away due to insider trading concerns and whatever .
But soon after that , there should be a little bit more detail , and it should be in the form of some scientific report , ideally of a preprint , if not a full , peer-reviewed report , and so on and so forth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data , I think a little bit more could be released , rather than a press release .
AMY GOODMAN : So , what kind of encouragement are you taking from this ?
How significant ?
And what about these two tests , these remarkable findings ?
And what does it mean for further testing ?
Who has to approve this next , how fast these become available , even as other vaccines , we understand — AstraZeneca , Johnson & Johnson — are nearing announcement , as well ?
SAAD OMER : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I don ’ t think there ’ s much of a practical difference between a 90 % efficacy or 95 % efficacy in preliminary results .
So , that ’ s one thing .
The best news is that for the first time it has been shown that there can be a vaccine against this coronavirus , against SARS-CoV-2 .
So , just the establishment of that proof of principle that an effective vaccine can be created , by any method , is a big deal .
The second thing is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted by both of these vaccines , is — which is the target .
We have put most , if not all — actually , not all , but most of our eggs in the basket of targeting the spike protein .
That ’ s reassuring that two vaccines targeting that seem to be working .
The third thing is that the mRNA technology , both of them , seem to be working .
So , these are good news .
This is part of good news .
There ’ s a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need to know how long it ’ s going to work .
We need a little bit more detailed safety data .
And the way it is likely to be approved is it ’ s likely to be — or authorized , it ’ s likely to go to the FDA now .
So , both the companies have indicated they ’ re going to go to the FDA within the next few weeks .
And FDA has had a little bit of a course correction in the past four , five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open about following the mainstream process , and , you know , frankly , due to the pushback from the career folks there .
But that is reassuring , and it ’ s likely that then these vaccines will be — the data from these vaccines , even more detailed data , will be presented to the advisory committee , the independent advisory committee , of the FDA and FDA itself , and then a decision will be made .
AMY GOODMAN : So , talk about what ’ s needed for distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine — you need two of them — has to be kept at subzero temperatures .
Many states are deeply concerned in the United States , not to mention countries around the world — and you ’ re deeply involved with both as you ’ re involved with the World Health Organization — do not have the special freezers that are needed .
Moderna is different , though it still needs freezers .
SAAD OMER : Yes .
So , we call that ultra-cold chain requirement , for something like what would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is a problem .
That is a — actually , I would say it is a challenge .
It ’ s not unsurmountable , because the Ebola vaccine was distributed in a lower-income country situation using ultra-cold chain .
So it ’ s not impossible , but it ’ s a pretty substantial challenge .
And WHO has been focusing on this in anticipation , in terms of country preparedness .
But , look , preparing , you know , the world is not easy .
Similarly , in the U.S. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little bit — we had started planning a little bit earlier .
But the CDC has released a few documents , has been working with several states to get us online as a country to prepare for vaccines that require ultra-cold chain .
But that doesn ’ t mean that it ’ s not going to pose challenges .
It ’ s going to pose substantial challenges , especially , my concern is , in terms of equity .
So , people who have access to facilities , both physical and otherwise , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have — you know , are different from people who don ’ t have access to these facilities , and so on and so forth .
So , it is not unsurmountable , but we need to work hard towards it .
AMY GOODMAN : And talk about what this means for who has access and who doesn ’ t , both in the United States , but also around the world .
You ’ re involved with the World Health Organization .
Can you talk about how these vaccines will be distributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world , haven ’ t they bought up the vast majority of these vaccines in advance , ordered them ?
SAAD OMER : Yes and no .
So , there are two mechanisms .
So , individual countries are doing their own deals , etc.
, those who can afford it , with these vaccine companies .
But then there ’ s this mechanism called COVAX Facility , which has like two subgroups .
One is that you can buy — anyone , any rich or poor country , can buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Look , you are backing nine vaccines , ” for example .
“ You ’ re backing a set of vaccines .
And whichever is successful , we don ’ t know.
” If , for example , Brazil or South Africa makes a bet , if you will , on one vaccine and it doesn ’ t work , then they are in trouble .
So , they pool that risk through that part .
But then there ’ s another component of it which says that countries that do not afford @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can either do it through their resources or a combination of their own resources and aid and a World Bank loan , etc .
So , the idea is that this facility can make this vaccine available to the world , to a lot of countries of the world .
But even at that , you know , it ’ s not too ambitious .
It says that , at least in the initial phase , it will focus on 20 % of supply for each country .
And so , that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Unfortunately , the U.S. has been conspicuous by its absence in terms of backing that COVAX Facility .
And so , hopefully , that will change .
Hopefully , there will be a focus on the fact that , you know , it is in our interest to make sure that everyone is disease-free with this virus , because it is a pandemic .
It impacts everyone .
But beyond this enlightened self-interest , we should be — the U.S. has been a leader in global health .
It played a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example .
And it played a substantial role in the efforts — the ongoing efforts for polio eradication .
So , it is pretty surprising and disheartening that the U.S. is absent from COVAX and COVAX Facility .
AMY GOODMAN : So , again , talking about not just because people think it ’ s fair or that everyone in the world should get this vaccine , but the self-interest , I ’ m looking at a piece in Medical Express that says “ researchers found that the rich nation stockpiling scenario reduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The fair-share approach prevented 61 % .
” And as we know , this is a highly infectious disease .
If one part of the world is infectious , we are all threatened .
SAAD OMER : Exactly .
It ’ s smart disease-control strategy that we don ’ t go alone .
It ’ s understandable for every country to make sure that its own population is protected , but that is not a zero-sum game .
That also means that we don ’ t have to just look inwards .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders in global health , and we have to do our part in making sure that the rest of the world also gets this vaccine .
AMY GOODMAN : So , Dr. Saad Omer , you ’ re at Yale .
Several of your colleagues are on the Biden coronavirus task force .
President Trump has refused to cooperate in the standard transition from one president to another .
This is not just a point of politeness .
This is a point of what happens in a case like this , where you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself a war president taking on coronavirus .
Of course , since then , he ’ s said it ’ s like a small flu , and has not been to a coronavirus task force , I think , in something like five months .
But what does it mean that this task force that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and President-elect Biden have put together can not get information from the Trump administration in terms of moving forward to vaccinate , if possible , much of the population of the United States ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because there are things that need to be coordinated with the federal agencies .
My hope is that agencies like the CDC and FDA and BARDA , a somewhat obscure agency within the Health and Human Services that was created in the early 2000s , with bipartisan support , to develop these kinds of countermeasures and vaccines , etc .
— and , actually , by the way , played a huge role , or a substantial role , not as much as I would have liked but still a significant role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , these kinds of agencies need to be on board with the response , going forward .
And not just on board , they need to enhance their response , and there needs to be coordination sort of at the federal level .
All of that would require a smooth handover , access to career professionals , and so on and so forth .
So , it is unfortunate .
It doesn ’ t mean that the incoming administration can not do its homework entirely .
A lot of engagement can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific entities , professional , medical associations , etc .
But they need — they should have access to the federal system .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to ask about patents .
In this time of this massive threat to human life around the world , with the developed world expecting to get the vast majority of the vaccines as they become available , I ’ m looking at The Wall Street Journal , which says , “ If the developed nations don ’ t relent , South Africa is prepared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rare contested vote at the [ World Trade Organization ] , ” which would challenge patents of these large pharmaceutical manufacturers .
SAAD OMER : Look , I think there are already mechanisms to devolve , sort of under license , some production around the world .
And that has to happen .
The world ’ s biggest producers , by volume , are not in the Western world .
The biggest producers are , for example , in India and China .
And so , it would be a tragedy if intellectual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is reassuring on that side , that I have heard some noise about , sort of under license , allowing some of the manufacturers , you know , in India and China , and specifically India , to scale up production .
And India supplies a lot of the vaccine that is used in low-income countries , well beyond India itself .
So , I hope that happens .
I hope we do not , not just have barriers due to intellectual property , but we don ’ t delay the program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program inherently is an inequitable program , because it exposes the most vulnerable to these kinds of diseases and infections more than those who are more privileged .
AMY GOODMAN : Finally , your quick response on why the coronavirus is increasing exponentially in the richest country in the world , right here in the United States ?
SAAD OMER : Unfortunately , it ’ s all about implementation and leadership .
And this is not a political statement .
It ’ s at various levels of the government that this has happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it .
But on top of it is the idea that , you know , when the pandemic started , the respiratory virus season in the U.S. was waning , and so we never saw the optimal time during which these kinds of viruses , not just coronaviruses , transmit most efficiently .
And there are different factors .
The role of each of these factors is unclear , for other respiratory viruses , as well .
But it is postulated , and it is actually known , it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indoors , including humidity and temperature , etc.
, that facilitates transmission .
And so , now we are entering that season with a suboptimal baseline , and we are seeing these record numbers .
AMY GOODMAN : And the effect of — SAAD OMER : So , it is highly unfortunate .
AMY GOODMAN : The effect of Dr. Atlas , a top coronavirus adviser , telling people to rise up against health regulations , what this means ?
SAAD OMER : Yeah , no , it is — I think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not that hard .
As we have known , as the evidence evolved , as we have known about masks and their utility in preventing this outbreak , the evidence emerged , evolved .
It ’ s out there .
You can have a difference of opinion about tactics , but the big strategy things , like testing , like social distancing — and nobody at this point is advocating outright lockdowns .
People are advocating for more fine-tuned approaches .
And it really surprises me that even with this kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this reaction .
You know , even something like a mask , that doesn ’ t impose on people ’ s freedoms , etc.
, people are making these kinds of unfounded statements .
AMY GOODMAN : Dr. Saad Omer , I want to thank you very much for being with us , director of the Yale Institute for Global Health , professor of infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine .
When we come back , we talk to the president of the National Nurses United about how , nine months into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide adequate PPE to doctors and nurses , and so much more .
Back in 30 seconds .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: As coronavirus cases soar across the country and around the globe, the drugmaker Moderna announced Monday its coronavirus vaccine is nearly 95% effective. This comes after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced a vaccine last week with 90% effectiveness. As the virus has now killed at least 1.2 million people worldwide, the companies say they could offer 20 million doses of the vaccine to people in the United States by sometime next month. But officials warn the widespread distribution of a vaccine for coronavirus will be a tremendously difficult and lengthy task. The World Health Organization’s immunization director, Katherine O’Brien, said Monday that discovering a vaccine was, quote, “like building a base camp on Mount Everest.”
This comes as the United States recorded nearly 167,000 new cases on Monday, the third-highest daily toll of the pandemic. Nearly 800 people died of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the official U.S. toll to nearly 247,000.
For more on the latest vaccine news, we’re joined from New Haven, Connecticut, by Dr. Saad Omer. He is director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, professor of infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine and a vaccine researcher.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us. So, let’s talk about some numbers. You had this amazing announcement last week by Pfizer/BioNTech that their vaccine is 90% effective. That’s followed this week by Moderna’s vaccine, Moderna saying the vaccine is 94.5% effective. These are astounding figures. But then I want to talk about two. That’s how we got this information: by two press releases, one from Moderna and one from Pfizer. So, Dr. Saad Omer, this is unusual, the way this vaccine information is coming out. These are not peer-reviewed. They are released by corporations. As soon as they are released, their stocks skyrocket. How can we trust this? What should we understand? What do you understand?
SAAD OMER: So, the news that is out there is reassuring, but you’re right: We need a little bit more information, and we need a little bit more transparency. I can understand that they have — they want to get the information out right away due to insider trading concerns and whatever. But soon after that, there should be a little bit more detail, and it should be in the form of some scientific report, ideally of a preprint, if not a full, peer-reviewed report, and so on and so forth. Even if it’s preliminary data, I think a little bit more could be released, rather than a press release.
AMY GOODMAN: So, what kind of encouragement are you taking from this? How significant? And what about these two tests, these remarkable findings? And what does it mean for further testing? Who has to approve this next, how fast these become available, even as other vaccines, we understand — AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson — are nearing announcement, as well?
SAAD OMER: So, this is certainly good news. And I don’t think there’s much of a practical difference between a 90% efficacy or 95% efficacy in preliminary results. So, that’s one thing. The best news is that for the first time it has been shown that there can be a vaccine against this coronavirus, against SARS-CoV-2. So, just the establishment of that proof of principle that an effective vaccine can be created, by any method, is a big deal.
The second thing is that the spike protein, which is targeted by both of these vaccines, is — which is the target. We have put most, if not all — actually, not all, but most of our eggs in the basket of targeting the spike protein. That’s reassuring that two vaccines targeting that seem to be working.
The third thing is that the mRNA technology, both of them, seem to be working. So, these are good news. This is part of good news. There’s a lot to be known. For example, we need to know how long it’s going to work. We need a little bit more detailed safety data.
And the way it is likely to be approved is it’s likely to be — or authorized, it’s likely to go to the FDA now. So, both the companies have indicated they’re going to go to the FDA within the next few weeks. And FDA has had a little bit of a course correction in the past four, five weeks, where they have been more open about following the mainstream process, and, you know, frankly, due to the pushback from the career folks there. But that is reassuring, and it’s likely that then these vaccines will be — the data from these vaccines, even more detailed data, will be presented to the advisory committee, the independent advisory committee, of the FDA and FDA itself, and then a decision will be made.
AMY GOODMAN: So, talk about what’s needed for distribution. We understand that the Pfizer/BioNTech double vaccine — you need two of them — has to be kept at subzero temperatures. Many states are deeply concerned in the United States, not to mention countries around the world — and you’re deeply involved with both as you’re involved with the World Health Organization — do not have the special freezers that are needed. Moderna is different, though it still needs freezers.
SAAD OMER: Yes. So, we call that ultra-cold chain requirement, for something like what would be required for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. And that is a problem. That is a — actually, I would say it is a challenge. It’s not unsurmountable, because the Ebola vaccine was distributed in a lower-income country situation using ultra-cold chain. So it’s not impossible, but it’s a pretty substantial challenge. And WHO has been focusing on this in anticipation, in terms of country preparedness. But, look, preparing, you know, the world is not easy.
Similarly, in the U.S., I wish we had been planning a little bit — we had started planning a little bit earlier. But the CDC has released a few documents, has been working with several states to get us online as a country to prepare for vaccines that require ultra-cold chain. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to pose challenges. It’s going to pose substantial challenges, especially, my concern is, in terms of equity. So, people who have access to facilities, both physical and otherwise, that have these kinds of requirements, have — you know, are different from people who don’t have access to these facilities, and so on and so forth. So, it is not unsurmountable, but we need to work hard towards it.
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what this means for who has access and who doesn’t, both in the United States, but also around the world. You’re involved with the World Health Organization. Can you talk about how these vaccines will be distributed? Already, the most wealthy countries in the world, haven’t they bought up the vast majority of these vaccines in advance, ordered them?
SAAD OMER: Yes and no. So, there are two mechanisms. So, individual countries are doing their own deals, etc., those who can afford it, with these vaccine companies. But then there’s this mechanism called COVAX Facility, which has like two subgroups. One is that you can buy — anyone, any rich or poor country, can buy into that facility and say, “Look, you are backing nine vaccines,” for example. “You’re backing a set of vaccines. And whichever is successful, we don’t know.” If, for example, Brazil or South Africa makes a bet, if you will, on one vaccine and it doesn’t work, then they are in trouble. So, they pool that risk through that part.
But then there’s another component of it which says that countries that do not afford — that cannot afford this vaccine can either do it through their resources or a combination of their own resources and aid and a World Bank loan, etc. So, the idea is that this facility can make this vaccine available to the world, to a lot of countries of the world. But even at that, you know, it’s not too ambitious. It says that, at least in the initial phase, it will focus on 20% of supply for each country. And so, that is a group that is making efforts towards it.
Unfortunately, the U.S. has been conspicuous by its absence in terms of backing that COVAX Facility. And so, hopefully, that will change. Hopefully, there will be a focus on the fact that, you know, it is in our interest to make sure that everyone is disease-free with this virus, because it is a pandemic. It impacts everyone. But beyond this enlightened self-interest, we should be — the U.S. has been a leader in global health. It played a substantial role in smallpox eradication, for example. And it played a substantial role in the efforts — the ongoing efforts for polio eradication. So, it is pretty surprising and disheartening that the U.S. is absent from COVAX and COVAX Facility.
AMY GOODMAN: So, again, talking about not just because people think it’s fair or that everyone in the world should get this vaccine, but the self-interest, I’m looking at a piece in Medical Express that says “researchers found that the rich nation stockpiling scenario reduced Covid-19 deaths by 33% globally. The fair-share approach prevented 61%.” And as we know, this is a highly infectious disease. If one part of the world is infectious, we are all threatened.
SAAD OMER: Exactly. It’s smart disease-control strategy that we don’t go alone. It’s understandable for every country to make sure that its own population is protected, but that is not a zero-sum game. That also means that we don’t have to just look inwards. We are — again, we have been leaders in global health, and we have to do our part in making sure that the rest of the world also gets this vaccine.
AMY GOODMAN: So, Dr. Saad Omer, you’re at Yale. Several of your colleagues are on the Biden coronavirus task force. President Trump has refused to cooperate in the standard transition from one president to another. This is not just a point of politeness. This is a point of what happens in a case like this, where you had President Trump once saying he considered himself a war president taking on coronavirus. Of course, since then, he’s said it’s like a small flu, and has not been to a coronavirus task force, I think, in something like five months. But what does it mean that this task force that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and President-elect Biden have put together cannot get information from the Trump administration in terms of moving forward to vaccinate, if possible, much of the population of the United States?
SAAD OMER: That’s unfortunate, because there are things that need to be coordinated with the federal agencies. My hope is that agencies like the CDC and FDA and BARDA, a somewhat obscure agency within the Health and Human Services that was created in the early 2000s, with bipartisan support, to develop these kinds of countermeasures and vaccines, etc. — and, actually, by the way, played a huge role, or a substantial role, not as much as I would have liked but still a significant role, in this pandemic, as well. So, these kinds of agencies need to be on board with the response, going forward. And not just on board, they need to enhance their response, and there needs to be coordination sort of at the federal level. All of that would require a smooth handover, access to career professionals, and so on and so forth. So, it is unfortunate. It doesn’t mean that the incoming administration cannot do its homework entirely. A lot of engagement can happen with states and other entities, scientific entities, professional, medical associations, etc. But they need — they should have access to the federal system.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask about patents. In this time of this massive threat to human life around the world, with the developed world expecting to get the vast majority of the vaccines as they become available, I’m looking at The Wall Street Journal, which says, “If the developed nations don’t relent, South Africa is prepared to try to force the issue through a rare contested vote at the [World Trade Organization],” which would challenge patents of these large pharmaceutical manufacturers.
SAAD OMER: Look, I think there are already mechanisms to devolve, sort of under license, some production around the world. And that has to happen. The world’s biggest producers, by volume, are not in the Western world. The biggest producers are, for example, in India and China. And so, it would be a tragedy if intellectual property becomes a bottleneck. I think what is reassuring on that side, that I have heard some noise about, sort of under license, allowing some of the manufacturers, you know, in India and China, and specifically India, to scale up production. And India supplies a lot of the vaccine that is used in low-income countries, well beyond India itself. So, I hope that happens. I hope we do not, not just have barriers due to intellectual property, but we don’t delay the program. You know, a delayed vaccination program inherently is an inequitable program, because it exposes the most vulnerable to these kinds of diseases and infections more than those who are more privileged.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, your quick response on why the coronavirus is increasing exponentially in the richest country in the world, right here in the United States?
SAAD OMER: Unfortunately, it’s all about implementation and leadership. And this is not a political statement. It’s at various levels of the government that this has happened. So, that’s part of it.
But on top of it is the idea that, you know, when the pandemic started, the respiratory virus season in the U.S. was waning, and so we never saw the optimal time during which these kinds of viruses, not just coronaviruses, transmit most efficiently. And there are different factors. The role of each of these factors is unclear, for other respiratory viruses, as well. But it is postulated, and it is actually known, it’s a combination of these factors, including crowding indoors, including humidity and temperature, etc., that facilitates transmission. And so, now we are entering that season with a suboptimal baseline, and we are seeing these record numbers.
AMY GOODMAN: And the effect of —
SAAD OMER: So, it is highly unfortunate.
AMY GOODMAN: The effect of Dr. Atlas, a top coronavirus adviser, telling people to rise up against health regulations, what this means?
SAAD OMER: Yeah, no, it is — I think we should all be following — and it’s not that hard. As we have known, as the evidence evolved, as we have known about masks and their utility in preventing this outbreak, the evidence emerged, evolved. It’s out there. You can have a difference of opinion about tactics, but the big strategy things, like testing, like social distancing — and nobody at this point is advocating outright lockdowns. People are advocating for more fine-tuned approaches. And it really surprises me that even with this kind of an approach, there’s this reaction. You know, even something like a mask, that doesn’t impose on people’s freedoms, etc., people are making these kinds of unfounded statements.
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Saad Omer, I want to thank you very much for being with us, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, professor of infectious diseases at Yale School of Medicine.
When we come back, we talk to the president of the National Nurses United about how, nine months into the pandemic, many hospitals are failing to provide adequate PPE to doctors and nurses, and so much more. Back in 30 seconds.


democracynow--2020-11-17--Headlines for November 17, 2020

Headlines for November 17, 2020

The United States recorded nearly 167,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday , the third-highest daily toll of the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ , already the highest in the world , is rapidly approaching a quarter-million — with @ @ @ @ @ last 24 hours .
In California , Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom ordered stringent pandemic restrictions @ @ @ @ @ ’ s counties and is considering a statewide curfew across California .
Iowa ’ s @ @ @ @ @ ordered a statewide indoor mask mandate — with some exceptions — along with limits on @ @ @ @ @ ban on certain public gatherings .
In Arizona , the Navajo Nation on Monday ordered @ @ @ @ @ in-person classes and shut roads to visitors , warning of “ uncontrolled spread ” of @ @ @

The United States recorded nearly 167,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the third-highest daily toll of the pandemic. The official U.S. death toll, already the highest in the world, is rapidly approaching a quarter-million — with 800 coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours.
In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom ordered stringent pandemic restrictions for three-quarters of his state’s counties and is considering a statewide curfew across California.
Iowa’s Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered a statewide indoor mask mandate — with some exceptions — along with limits on bars and restaurants and a ban on certain public gatherings.
In Arizona, the Navajo Nation on Monday ordered nonessential businesses closed, canceled in-person classes and shut roads to visitors, warning of “uncontrolled spread” of the virus.