Get out! There's a difference of opinion on the interpretation of 'shelter-in-place'

Announcing 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 panelist); Dr. Wayne P. Gulliver, Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador; Robin Hunter, Malinckrodt; Richard Lajoie, Bausch Health; Mitch Shannon, Chronicle Companies (host.) Registration is free, but strictly limited to 100 delegates. (Overflow viewing will be live-streamed to YouTube.) Register now at http://tiny.cc/NPC-Spring

May 5, 2020 — Arriba! This Cinco de Mayo edition of the Daily CurveFlattener comes to you from Chronicle assistant editor Dhiren Mahiban, whose alias on this occasion is El Jefe.  

Dr. Bonnie Henry

As businesses such as landscaping companies, automatic car washes and garden centres with curbside pickup were given the green light to begin operating again on Monday (05/03/20) here in Canada's province of Ontario, some are wondering if it may be time to re-think quarantine measures. Andre Picard, a veteran health writer with the Globe & Mail newspaper, cites an instruction from Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer for British Columbia, who last week encouraged those on the west coast to "Please, go outside." 

Easy for her to say. Others worry that a premature return to citizens mingling in close quarters will prompt a spike in Covid-19 infections. So, if you're celebrating Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza's defeat of the French Empire during the Battle of Puebla, on this day 158 years ago, please practice safe Cinco. Avoid the communal salsa bowl. Keep your cotton-pickin' fingers out of the gauc dip. And do not think of sipping your neighbour's margarita.

COVID CHRONICLE 04/24/2020

• A shared-intelligence alliance between Canada, the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand believes China has been less than forthcoming about the early spread of Covid-19 in Wuhan, but the "Five Eyes" consortium isn't convinced the virus was bioengineered in a Chinese lab, as charged on Sunday (05/03) by the US secretary of state. Without citing evidence, Mike Pompeo said: “I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.” The Guardian newspaper reports the Five Eyes group doesn't want to be drawn into an emerging international political dispute.
• Ottawa's Spartan Bioscience is recalling its rapid test kits for Covid-19, according to a Canadian Press story. The company recalled 5,500 test kits after Health Canada expressed concerns over its effectiveness.  
• A global effort conducted by video-link aimed at funding development of a vaccine to be used against Covid-19 raised Cdn$10.64 billion on Monday (04/03.) Canada's contribution to the kitty was around Cdn$1 billion, and investments came from wealthy nations, such as Australia, Japan, and most European Union countries, as well as less-developed countries. One notable deadbeat nation: the USA, which skipped the fundraising gathering and offered a shrugging brush-off, claiming they already gave at the office. Justifying the deadbeat stance to the New York Times, a spokesman for the Trump administration claimed Washington has spent US$2.6 billion on vaccine R&D through a federal agency.
• Under the category of Mysteries You Never Gave Much Thought To, CNN ponders the recent spate of Russian physicians who have, ahem, fallen out of windows. Three doctors just happened to tumble onto the streets below their clinics during the last two weeks, including one case where a doc was alleged to have been protesting the conversion of a hospital to a Covid-19 treatment centre.  

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

The U.S. National Rosacea Society released a list of tips and recommendations to avoid flares during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have a post up at Derm.City outlining the Society's advice. 

RIGHT NOW WE ARE LISTENING TO... 

The 'Overheard at National Geographic' podcast is a weekly show hosted by Peter Gwin and Amy Briggs which introduces listeners to explorers, photographers, and scientists at the edge of our big, bizarre world. We just listened to the 'The hidden cost of the perfect selfie' episode which dives into the complicated nature of elephant tourism in Thailand. 

LATER WE'RE READING...

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike written by shoemaker Phil Knight. In the book, Knight shares the inside story of the company's early days as a start-up and its evolution into one of the world's most recognizable and profitable athletic brands. 

TONIGHT WE ARE COOKING...

In keeping with the national celebration in the Republic of Mexico, we're going to give this 'so-addicted chicken enchiladas' recipe a whirl for dinner tonight. 

AND HOW ARE YOU DOING AT MIDWEEK?

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. My colleague Jeremy Visser compile tomorrow's edition.