Alas, Covid-19 might be something we're just going to have to keep living with

NOW: More tickets available for the National Pharmaceutical Congress Spring 2020 Webinar: "After This Rude Interruption: What the Life Sciences Will Look Like After the Covid Crisis"  Wed., May 20, 11 a.m. to noon (EDT.) Panel discussion of thought-leaders from the Canadian Life Sciences and physician communities to discuss and determine the way forward. Faculty includes: Wendy Adams, Galderma Canada; Peter Brenders, Kontollo Health (lead panellist); Dr. Wayne P. Gulliver, Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador; Robin Hunter, Malinckrodt; Richard Lajoie, Bausch Health; Mitch Shannon, Chronicle Companies (host.) Registration is free. Register now at http://tiny.cc/NPC-Spring

May 15, 2020 -  Finally, it's the Friday edition of the CurveFlattener, reported today by Chronicle correspondent Jeremy Visser, who is anxiously studying the clock on the wall, in anticipation of the long weekend ahead.

As we navigate another holiday with social distancing, many are becoming anxious over the wait to get back to some semblance of normal. However, WHO's emergency chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, says "the virus may never go away" and suspects novel coronavirus may be here to stay -- not unlike HIV. 

As countries balance efforts to flatten the curve with reopening the economy, world leaders are starting to come to terms. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson detailed his plans for allowing citizens to return back to work on Sunday. With vague recommendations and a problematic slogan of "Stay Alert" replacing the "Stay Home," Bojo's plans for his country received considerable criticism.

Meanwhile, U.S. Health and Human Services whistleblower Dr. Richard  Bright, says the U.S. government has no plan or strategy in place and fears the outcome from the lacklustre response to the pandemic.

Conversely, Canadian health officials are recommending an expansion of testing to help contain the virus. 

COVID CHRONICLE 05/15/2020

• A meta-analysis was done in the British Medical Journal examining the psychological effects on clinicians working to manage novel virus outbreaks. They discovered successful interventions available to help mitigate psychological distress by comparing cases of Covid-19, SARS and MERS.
• A recent Italian study posted on the Lancet shows an outbreak of a severe Kawasaki-like disease that has potentials ties to Covid-19 cases.
• A report online in JAMA Oncology suggests that adolescent cancer patients may not be more vulnerable to Covid-19 than other children.

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

My colleague Cory Perla has interviewed Dre. Danielle Marcoux for an article regarding the management of congenital melanocytes nevi in plastic surgery clinics. Look for it in an upcoming issue of The Chronicle of Cosmetic Medicine + Surgery.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE LISTENING TO... 

Enter Shikari's Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible. What is being toted as the "the most definitive Shikari record to date", I'm very happy to say that listening to a new album has never felt so familiar. The politically charged electronic rock/post-hardcore band is always an instant recommendation from me, but given the current circumstances their eerily written lyrics are extra relevant now.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE READING... 

King Lear. I found an interesting article on JAMA Network detailing the parallels of Shakespeare's timeless classic. As it was supposedly written under quarantine during the Black Plague, it's not surprising that it should be some timely reading. 

TONIGHT WE ARE COOKING... 

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Coconut Curry. It's my time to contribute in the kitchen, so I'll be making this delicious and warming dish tonight. I was tempted to prepare my colleague's vegan spaghetti and creamy cauliflower soup, as described previously this week -- but then I wouldn't have a new and untested recipe to share with you, would I?

HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Please make use of the comments section at the Daily CurveFlattener, to let us know what you're up to today. Or feel free to check in via LinkedIn, email, or your choice of connector. By all means, pass this newsletter along to your colleagues.

That's it. Stay in touch, stay safe and enjoy your long weekend. Editorial Director Allan Ryan will be back Tuesday morning for your Covid-related updates.