Fewer women in the workforce an effect of Covid: report

The NPC Podcast is on the air. The organizers of the National Pharmaceutical Congress are proud to release our new weekly podcast series, hosted by Peter Brenders. Peter's guest this week is Nancy White of Inagene Diagnostics. Listen here now, or download the episode and play it at your convenience. The NPC Podcast is presented in cooperation with Impres Pharma.

⇒ Issue #102 (In numerology, 102 is a call to discover your purpose in life. Why are you here?)

⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 08/27: 128,380*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 08/27: 9,141*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 08/27: 24,194,501*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 08/27: 826,158*

August 27, 2020 — Good morning, CurveFlatteners. It's Chronicle assistant editor Kylie Rebernik here. With September coming in hot and fast it is almost time for the annual return to school, and living with a teacher means it is a much-discussed topic in my house.

According to a recent article published by on the CBC web site, the choice to go back to school is not really a choice for all. Low-income families and essential workers will likely be forced to send their children back to classrooms. "They've been given ultimately a false choice," stated Valerie Stam, executive director of the City for all Women Initiative, a group that champions inclusiveness and gender equity in eastern Ontario.

An economic report released by RBC Bank has shown that Covid-19 has disproportionately affected the rate of women's participation in the workforce. It has dipped to 55 per cent, for the first time since the mid-'80s. Children returning to school full-time will give many women the opportunity to re-enter the workforce. 

This Wednesday (08/26/20), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, announced that the federal government would be giving provinces an additional $2 billion, in addition to the already promised $19 billion, to ensure that children can go back to school safely. Funding is allocated based on the number of students in each province and territory, and each province can spend the money as they see fit.

Meanwhile in Quebec, a new survey has found that hundred of Quebec school teachers are dissatisfied with the government's school reopening plan. The survey by CBC Montreal and Radio-Canada had approximately 2,000 respondents who were teachers, principals and education workers in Quebec public schools. Eight-five per cent of those surveyed said it will be either "somewhat difficult" or "very difficult" to ensure public-health guidelines are upheld when children return to the classroom. Quebec's latest plans require children in fifth grade and higher to wear facemasks when moving around the school, but not in the classroom. 

In contrast, Ontario's Peel District School Board, near Toronto, is making masks mandatory for students in grades one to 12, and reducing class sizes by hiring extra teachers and are considering delaying the start of the school year. The Pell board also noted that of the 81 per cent of families who have indicated their back-to-school plans, 26 per cent said their children will attend class through distance-learning only.


COVID CHRONICLE 08/27/20

• Researched published in BMJ (Jul. 15, 2020) has evaluated the association between physical distancing interventions and incidence of Covid-19 in 149 countries. Overall, countries that have implemented physical distancing interventions saw an overall reduction of Covid-19 incidence. Researchers also reported that countries that implemented earlier lockdown saw a larger decrease in the incidence of Covid-19.
• Researchers have reported that despite concerns, Covid-19 is likely not transmitted through breast milk. The research was published in JAMA (Aug. 19, 2020). Investigators collected data from 18 women with confirmed Covid-19. Women self-collected between one and 12 breast milk samples that were sent to researchers with a total of 64 samples collected. Only 1 sample had detectable traces of Covid-19 but the viral culture was negative.
• A new study conducted by Women's Health Research at Yale University has found that women may have a better immune response to Covid-19 compared to men. According to researchers, women have a "more robust and sustained T-cell response." The study was published in Nature (August 26, 2020).

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Starting October 1, 2020, the 6th annual Skin Spectrum Summit (SSS 2020) will start. This year's Summit is going virtual! The team at Chronicle is working with Dr. Gary Sibbald to optimize the SSS 2020 curriculum for the virtual format. If you would like to learn more please visit www.skinspectrum.ca.

RIGHT NOW I AM READING...

My book club has moved on to its next title, Unsouled by Will Wight.

TONIGHT WE ARE EATING...

Mexican corn salad. I made this recipe for the first time this past weekend and it was amazing. Plus corn is in season so all the more reason to make it.

TOMORROW AND TOMORROW
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. Jeremy Visser will pick up the coverage tomorrow.

Be sure to check out the third edition of Chronicle's new e-newsletter, "Skin Spectrum Weekly." It's a weekly report out every Monday featuring clinical news and expert medical commentary on scientific and cultural subjects related to Skin of Color and Ethnodermatology. Have a look at http://skinspectrum.online and sign up for your free subscription.