Governments are learning from their (far too many) Covid mistakes

Announcing the Summer Webinar of the National Pharmaceutical Congress: "Pharma's Purpose, People & Process Post-Covid. Who Will Thrive? Who Will Be Left Behind?" Featured panellists are Ronnie Miller, Hoffman-La Roche; Mike Egli, Aspen Healthcare Canada; Claude Perron, Amicus Therapeutics; Danielle Portnik, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; Peter Brenders, Kontollo Health [lead panellist]; Mitch Shannon, Chronicle Companies [host.] Mark the date of Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 to noon (EDT.) Registration is free. Space is limited. Sign up here.

June 5, 2020 --  Happy Friday, CurveFlatteners. Here to report your end-of-the-week Covid coverage is Chronicle's Jeremy Visser.  

Recent protest marches in the U.S. capital have been responded to with tear gas, a tactic that may increase the spread of Covid-19. As research has shown that tear gas may increase susceptibly to respiratory illnesses, it seems a poorly-conceived measure.

A recent report on the news commentary site The Intercept describes how Robert Kadlec, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, declined to secure masks and PPE as Covid-19 was becoming a threat, suggesting far more could have been done to reduce the spread of the virus. While President Donald Trump is certainly the poster-boy for failures to respond to the pandemic (see CurveFlatteners passim), evidence suggests he's not the only culpable party.

In the U.K., doctors are receiving pressure to clam up about the shortage of PPE. Sweden handed off the responsibility of social distancing to its citizens, ignoring the need for a lockdown,  which resulted in one of the highest death rates per capita in the world. In Canada, the provincial government of Ontario has been criticized for a lack of transparency in releasing Covid-19 data. 

In perhaps the only encouraging sign of the day, we seem to be learning from our failures. Having endured early PPE shortages, Canada is ordering millions of syringes in anticipation of mass vaccines. The UN has also put together a group of "digital-first responders" to combat the glaring amount of Covid-19 misinformation online. 

COVID CHRONICLE 06/05/2020

• A recent study published in the BMJ shows that over a quarter of the most viewed YouTube videos about Covid-19 contain misinformation. The study looks to help successfully manage the pandemic and maybe save some cellphone towers from being set on fire at the same time.

• An article published by The Lancet in EClinicalMedicine explores the impact of ethnicity on Covid-19 outcomes. While the data is limited, emerging data show increased risk and worse outcomes for Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority patients. 

• In a press release from Thomas Jefferson University, preliminary findings are showing Covid-19 is linked to strokes in young patients with no risk factor for stroke. These unusual cases of strokes have been documented in both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers of the virus.

• A study published online Psychiatry Research has predicted an increase in annual suicide mortality in response to the pandemic. The authors recommend suicide prevention as a priority in Covid-19 response measures.

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

I will be speaking with Alicia Nevriana on her study regarding the association between paternal and maternal mental illness and risk of injuries in children and adolescents. The article will be an upcoming issue of Pediatric Chronicle. 

RIGHT NOW WE ARE LISTENING TO... 

MC Lars & Mega Ran's Dewey Decibel System. With an impressive collection of nerdcore rap tracks paying homage to famous poems, comics and novels, this album is sure to become a classic, possibly on a par with the source material from which it was inspired. However, the song Between the World and Me, focusing on Ta-Nehisi Coate's book of the same name, is especially compelling.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE (RE)READING... 

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, a tale of the bond between Satoru and his cat. The story details their meeting and their road trip across Japan as Satoru finds someone to take his cat, as he can no longer keep him for unknown reasons. Both a tug on the heartstrings and a scenic journey through Japan, this book is one I recommend highly.

TONIGHT WE ARE COOKING... 

Cauliflower Walnut Taco Meat Burrito Bowl. I've experimented with walnut taco meat before and always knew there was something missing. Hence, I've gone with a burrito-bowl recipe that uses cauliflower to balance out the walnut meat. Eureka!

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 weekend. Editorial Director Allan Ryan will be back on Monday with news and some commentary.