When doctors circulate misinformation from other doctors, that's a problem

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 guests this week are Mike Egli of Aspen Pharma Canada and Patrick Massad of PAAB. Listen here now, or download the episode and play it at your convenience. The NPC Podcast is presented in cooperation with Impres Pharma.

⇒ Issue #96 (In numerology, 96 represents energy related to family and home, and nurturing humanity.)
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 08/18: 124,813*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 08/18: 9,080*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 08/18: 21,912,218*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 08/18: 774,661*

August 18, 2020— Welcome back to another week of the Daily CurveFlattener. Reporting today is editorial assistant Jeremy Visser, fresh into another week of working remotely while dodging Covid-19 misinformation on social media.

Loyal DCF readers may remember a WHO task force appointed to fight pandemic misinformation, which was announced around the same time as the release of a video from a Dr. Stella Immanuel which touted hydroxychloroquine as a remedy for the pandemic. 

For those who don't recall the latter event, here is the countdown: (3) Video is released featuring a Texas pediatrician who claims studies debunking the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine are "fake science" from "fake pharma companies" promulgated by "fake news." (2) Video is shared by U.S. President Trump with his supporters. (1) Video goes viral, misinforming millions of credulous viewers. (This same physician also happens to be an ordained minister whose sermons reportedly focus on the subjects of abortion, gay marriage, and something to do with demonic children's toys.  

The president's son and namesake, Donald Trump Jr., received a 12-hour ban from Twitter after sharing this video, which was also shared by the president of Concerned Ontario Doctors (COD), Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill.

After the creation of COD in 2017, which followed a split from the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Gill has regularly retweeted Fox News and, well, herself. Some of the messages are assurances that a Covid vaccine isn't necessary, that social isolation isn't effective, and the phrase "T-cell immunity" repeated 18 times alongside emojis. Nothing conveys scientific rigour quite like an emoji.

To paraphrase an old movie poster: "In Cyberspace, There is No Peer-Review. And No One Can Hear You Scream."

COVID CHRONICLE 08/18/2020

• A study published in the JAMA Network looked at 17 nursing homes in France that used staff self-confinement. The findings suggest that the self-confinement of staff and residents led to lower mortality rates from Covid-19. The staff in the nursing homes voluntarily agreed to self-confinement.
• A study published in The British Medical Journal shows findings that suggest physical distancing interventions were associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19 and that earlier implementation of lockdown was associated with a larger reduction of Covid-19. The data was observed from 149 countries and has a long list of authors that were clearly not spreading liberal government "fake science", despite what anyone says on Twitter.
• A recent press release from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has reported about an international task force researching into mobile health technologies as viable options to monitor Covid-19 patients and predict those who need medical intervention. The study, focusing on wearable sensors and digital contact tracing, was published in the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology. 

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Right now, I'm just putting the finishing touches on the penultimate episode of Season One of the NPC Podcast, in which Peter Brenders interviews Robin Hunter of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals about supplying products to ICUs as help against Covid-19 infections. The episode will be out tomorrow.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE LISTENING TO... 

Nice White Parents, a podcast from the New York Times that focuses on segregation in public schools, and those who opposed it. It's full of captivating interviews on an important issue, I should make my way through the mini-series pretty quickly.


TONIGHT WE ARE WATCHING... 

Spirited Away. What I regularly refer to as Miyazaki's take on Alice in Wonderland, the film is heartwarming and full of lots of mesmerizing visuals.


HOW IS YOUR WEEK GOING?

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.


Stay in touch, stay safe and enjoy your day. Editorial Director Allan Ryan will be here tomorrow for your news updates.