Canada's masked PM takes a pass on meeting with the mask-shunning US prexy

⇒ Issue #69
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 07/06: 107,815*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 07/06: 8,748*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 07/06: 11,648,268*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 07/06: 538,828*

July 7, 2020—I hope you're enjoying your Tuesday. Reporting once again from the west side of Toronto, it's your friendly neighbourhood editorial assistant Jeremy Visser. 

I am spending my day silently celebrating the new Toronto by-law making mask wearing or face covering mandatory indoors in public spaces. After silently judging the only person in the line into the grocery store on Sunday, this feels like a small victory. As someone who has read too many superhero comic books with plots involving the government banning masked crime-fighters, it feels oddly satisfying seeing the opposite happen. Toronto now joins a growing list of cities or areas requiring masks. Grassroots groups "Masks4Canada" will be celebrating with me as they add another area to their mandatory masking map. 

While experts seem to believe that Covid-19 is airborne (amid W.H.O. claims that such research is inconclusive), most seem to agree that transmission is much more likely indoors.

Which would make it a reasonable decision for Prime Minister Trudeau to decline an indoor meeting at the White House to celebrate the renegotiated NAFTA deal. This is especially the case given President Donald Trump's track record with social distancing and mask-wearing.

Of course, it could be worse. The U.S. president could be hosting Covid-19 catching parties as recently took place in Alabama, where students awarded a pot of money to whoever contracted the coronavirus first. When they were told that college is the time to experiment, I don't think this is what was meant. 

COVID CHRONICLE 07/06/2020

• An article published online ahead of print in Pediatrics shares multiple research articles suggesting that pandemic spread from children to children or children to adult is infrequent. The authors suggest the adverse social and developmental costs of keeping schools close could outweigh the apparent minimal spread that children would contribute to in schools.

• In a press release from Rutgers University researchers have found that asthma does not appear to increase the severity of Covid-19. Dr. Reynold A. Panettieri Jr. co-authored the study that will be published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

• Research published online at JAMA has suggested that use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker use have not been associated with Covid-19 diagnosis or mortality among patients with Covid-19. The authors recommend not discontinuing use of the hypertension treatments in response to the pandemic.

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

I recently spoke with new CDA president Dr. Jason Rivers on a study regarding evaluation of sex-specific incidences of melanoma. The article including his expertise in the area will be published in The Chronicle of Skin & Allergy.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE LISTENING TO... 

Intervals. While I was originally drawn the Toronto-based progressive metal band for their album A Voice Within, the only album of theirs with a vocalist, it is their instrumental albums that have been dominating my daily work soundtrack. 

RIGHT NOW WE ARE READING... 

The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Author of an acclaimed memoir written for his son, Between the World and Me, Coates' debut novel details his relationship with his brother, his father (a member of the Black Panther party), and his relationship with race in the city of Baltimore.

TONIGHT WE ARE COOKING... 

Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwiches. I find heads of cauliflower take up a lot of space in my ever-shrinking fridge. This means that I can usually get some pretty thick cuts to star in one of my favourite vegan dishes. 

HOW IS YOUR WEEK GOING?

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That's it. Stay in touch, stay safe and enjoy your day. Editorial Director Allan Ryan will be back tomorrow to commemorate the halfway mark through another week in 2020.