Covid and apps: Perhaps technology's step too far

⇒ Issue #63
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 06/25: 104,463*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 06/25: 8,567*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 06/25: 9,632,9069*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 06/25: 489,854*
June 26, 2020—It’s the end-o'-week Daily CurveFlattener brought to you from bustling Etobicoke, Ont., where Editorial Director Allan Ryan is manning the switchboard at Chronicle base camp.

You could be soaking in it now: A June 22 report from the St. Catharines (Ont.) Standard newspaper claims that the basic structure of a Covid-19 alert app may have already been downloaded onto smartphones in Ontario, according to Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagara’s acting medical officer of health. Although none of the features has been activated, the app, built on Google and Apple operating systems, is being prepared for its July release, and users may find a program called “Covid-19 Exposure Notification” in their phone’s settings. The app uses Bluetooth to inform people they have been in contact with someone with the virus, but Dr. Hirji says because the app doesn’t tell public health who tested positive, it is a no-go for a contact tracing investigation. Dr. Hirji disputes the app's value. Alberta introduced an app that has only been downloaded by 11 per cent of the population, and Dr. Hirji said Norway also developed a similar app that was ultimately abandoned because it was deemed ineffective.

With a little help from my (AI) friends: Feeling a bit lonely in quarantine? Nobody dropping by to say how-do during the Covid-19 shutdown? On your own, 24/7? This chatbot (or conversational agent, as they are known in some circles) is available on Google Play and the Apple Store and claims it will lift you out of those pandemic doldrums by carrying on a text message exchange with you, at no charge. But for a small additional cost, the Pro version will broach topics not suitable for the family, and even provide voice calls during your time of social isolation. According to this report in The New York Times, some researchers say constant interaction with technology is becoming a cause for concern.

“We are all spending so much time behind our screens, it is not surprising that when we get a chance to talk to a machine, we take it,” Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social studies of science and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told The Times. “But this does not develop the muscles—the emotional muscles—needed to have real dialogue with real people.”

Maybe a cat or a dog or a pen pal would be a better idea: If you are looking for something a little more reminiscent of human interaction, a Florida company is developing a program that uses a combination of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality to create smartphone-based virtual interactions. Not yet ready for prime time, the app called Hybri lets users create a digital partner they interact with through either a smartphone or a compatible VR/AR headset. Part of the product schtick is that the program lets users scan family photos—remember that shot of Uncle Jerry balancing beer bottles on his forehead?—so you can create a digital partner resembling that person. But it doesn’t stop there: Users can also scan pics of sports stars and celebrities—or even politicians, if anyone could ever be that lonely—to build digital characters.

COVID CHRONICLE 06/26/2020 

• Covid-19 is creating serious havoc for some fourth-year medical students across Canada. They are being plagued with technical and communication issues as they try to complete the online nine-hour Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part 1. A series of technical failures--including proctors who are scheduled to monitor a student for the exam’s entirety and then suddenly drop off because of a technical glitch--have students concerned that they may not qualify for residency or may even have to go back and do the whole thing one more time.
• Maskne is a real condition: Dermatologists are seeing a significant uptick in patient inquiries regarding acne outbreaks. In this article, clinicians report that wearing a mask to protect against spreading the coronavirus creates an ideal moisture-rich environment for the proliferation of bacteria and organisms that can cause flares of acne (acne mechanica) and other skin conditions such as perioral dermatitis. "I have patients calling in despair saying 'What is going on? I've never had a breakout before and now my face looks like a teenager's!'" dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, told the news network CNN.
• British physicians are warning that Covid-19 could leave many patients with permanent lung problems, according to this report from the BBC. Experts are concerned a significant proportion could be left with lung scarring or pulmonary fibrosis. The condition is irreversible and symptoms can include severe shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue. "With all these cases, we can't say for certain at the moment," Dr. Sam Hare, an executive committee member of the British Society of Thoracic Imaging and advisor to the Royal College of Radiologists, told the BBC. "But usually with a virus or infection at six weeks, you would expect the scan to have returned to normal. It hasn't and that's the worry."
• The gender gap in research output has widened, reports this article in The Scientist. That gap has grown wider particularly when it comes to Covid-19 research, and the reason may be as simple as the childcare burden which is falling disproportionately on women, according to the report. A series of recent studies demonstrated a significant drop in the research productivity of female scientists, especially those early in their careers, relative to their male peers.

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY
Senior editor John Evans has filed an article for the Chronicle of Cosmetic Medicine + Surgery on a large prospective study of microneedling of scars with long term follow up.


RIGHT NOW WE ARE READING...
One of the side benefits of moving households is that when the library is packed up, there are always a few treasures unearthed that never seem to have quite made it to the reading table. So the books get set aside to crack open when the arms and legs grow weary of shifting boxes. And during a pandemic, what a timely find this was: Childbed Fever: A Scientific Biography of Ignaz Semmelweis by K. Codell Carter and Barbara R. Carter. It's the story of a Hungarian physician based in Vienna in the mid-1800s who developed germ theory, and postulated the radical idea that the reason thousands of women were dying of fever during childbirth was simple: Physicians were not washing their hands between procedures. His reward was to be ostracized by his peers. Only years after his death in 1865 were his observations proven correct when Louis Pasteur confirmed the germ theory concept and Joseph Lister embraced hygienic practices during surgeries.


TONIGHT WE ARE COOKING...
Friday is a traditional veggie omelette night around our place. Will crack open some of the fresh eggs purchased this week, and stuff the omelette with mushrooms, green peppers, tomato slices and cheddar cheese, with green olives thrown in to add some flair. Picked up some hot-from-the-oven rye bread at the local bakery this morning, and that will toast up beautifully.

HOW HAS YOUR WEEK BEEN?
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 we'll be back on Monday, with Publisher Mitch Shannon at the wheel.