Governments, take note: Mixed messages deliver mixed results

The NPC Healthbiz Weekly has launched. It's your weekly briefing on topics pertinent to healthcare marketers and executives published in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions. From Chronicle Companies, organizers of the 14th National Pharmaceutical Congress, which begins Oct. 21. More info at pharmacongress.info

⇒ Issue #123 (In numerology, 123 is a recurring lyric in "ABC," a popular song by the Jackson Five.)
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 10/15: 192,064*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 10/15: 9,719*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 10/15: 38,564,176*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 10/15: 1,092,968*

October 15, 2020—Hello all you faithful CurveFlatteners. It’s Editorial Director Allan Ryan bringing you the Covid-19 news today from the Chronicle offices in Etobicoke, Ont. The buzz in the building is around the new directive from the Ontario provincial government that there will be no indoor dining in Toronto, Ottawa, and Peel region (just outside Toronto) for the next 28 days. That has forced the local watering-hole on the ground floor of our office back into takeout-only mode. 

Speaking of mandates, the various levels of governments in Canada have quite suddenly begun to project a level of uncertainty in their moves to contain Covid-19. Conflicting messages and changes in policy seemed to be especially evident over the last holiday weekend. How many people could attend your Thanksgiving gathering? Do we have ‘bubbles’ anymore? Should we wear masks outdoors? What do you say if you get stopped at a Covid-19 checkpoint in Quebec? 

(That last query was an easy one. Just don’t claim you are heading to grand-mère’s house. That line won’t cut it with the authorities). 

These changes in policy are confusing the populace and even the officials who get to deliver the updates. If governments could actually sweat, these entities would be dripping buckets. It’s difficult to stay on top of Covid-19 anymore.

Three cases in point: In Ontario, provincial officials are encouraging people to get a flu shot this year, to help avoid clogging up the healthcare system with non-Covid-related illnesses. However, several pharmacies in Toronto have reported depleting their vaccine supply just 24 hours after the vaccine became available.

Remember those early days in the pandemic when anyone who was worried they might have come into contact with a Covid-19 carrier was encouraged to go get a test? As of a couple of weeks ago, that is not the case anymore, at least in Ontario and Alberta. Ontario Premier Doug Ford cited long lineups at testing centres and a backlog of nearly 100,000 tests that hadn’t been processed as a good reason to restrict access to testing to symptomatic people.  

And just when some levels of government are encouraging residents to stay home and in many cases not even fraternize with their immediate family, the feds have decided to relax the rules on cross-border travel and family reunification. CTV News reports “changes are coming to allow more extended family members into Canada on compassionate grounds, as well as allowing international students to enter the country under certain criteria.”

These developments leave the Canadian public confused, and rightly so. The question is: Will such confusing messages from the politicos ultimately undermine any future directives?

The NPC Podcast is back for another season. 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 Kevin Leshuk. Listen here now, or download the episode and play it at your convenience. The NPC Podcast is presented in cooperation with Impres Pharma

COVID CHRONICLE 10/15/2020

• Having Neanderthal genes may be a liability for Covid-19 patients, according to the results of a study published in Nature. A genetic association study identified a gene cluster on chromosome 3 as a risk locus for respiratory failure after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The risk is conferred by a genomic segment of around 50 kilobases inherited from Neanderthals, the researchers report. 
• People with blood type O may be less vulnerable to Covid-19 and have a reduced likelihood of getting severely ill, according to two studies published yesterday (10/13/2020) in the journal Blood Advances. The two studies—one from Canada and one from Denmark—acknowledge the reasons for this are not clear, and more research is needed.
• Author Paulette Cooper Noble’s view on taking precautions in the days of Covid-19—especially if you live in Florida like she does—is alternately alarming and amusing. Would you put some alcohol up your nose and antiseptic on your eyelids when you come home?

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Beginning next Wednesday, Oct 21, 2020, this year’s 14th annual National Pharmaceutical Congress will be completely virtual. You can learn more here.

TONIGHT WE ARE WATCHING. . .

I was planning to listen to some new podcasts tonight, or maybe finish the book that is sitting on the table in the dining room, but found myself engrossed by this new app called Window Swap. The idea is people from all around the world upload photos taken from a window, and then you can watch the photos scroll past. A little hard to describe, but the app is transfixing. It would be an improvement if you could call up photos of a particular city or part of the world, but right now they scroll in a random fashion. Gets you hooked, waiting to see what the next shot might be.

HOW IS YOUR OCTOBER 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. Mitch Shannon will be by tomorrow to ease us into the weekend.