Retitling Covid as 'Invasion of the lung-capacity snatchers'

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 #120 (In numerology, 120 represents new beginnings, accomplishments, and individuality.)
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 10/08: 175,380*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 10/08: 9,593:*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 10/08: 36,200,813*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 10/08: 1,056,744*

October 8, 2020—Hello, and welcome to Thursday, Curveflatteners. From the increasingly autumnal-looking streets of Etobicoke, Ont., this is Senior Editor John Evans looking forward to the spooky season. The skeletons appearing in neighbor's yard has got me thinking about the scary movies synonymous with late October. 

Earlier in the year, a number of wags were pointing out "Every disaster movie starts with scientists giving a warning and being ignored," in regard to the emerging Covid-19 pandemic. And right now I am getting some sci-fi horror film vibes from current events.

Not only has the ostensible leader of the free world tested positive for the virus (see Daily CurveFlatteners passim), but many of his top military commanders are now in quarantine too.

In a turn of events worthy of the most cunning alien invaders, Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice-commandant of the U.S. coast guard has tested positive for Covid-19. Adm. Ray had attended a meeting on Friday with the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in a classified Pentagon meeting room known as [cue dramatic music] "The Tank." Consequently, many of the military bigwigs, such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and the vice-chairman, Gen. John Hyten, are now in quarantine.

The military officials are now working from home, and the party line is this will have no impact on military readiness.

The other recent unearthly news is from the divine side of things. Global News reports that on Sunday, as part of the release of a new encyclical, Pope Francis (photo below) said that the Covid-19 pandemic has proven that the “magic theories” of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity and rejects war at all costs.

“Aside from the differing ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident,” the pontiff wrote in the document. “Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality.” 

 

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 Nicole Serena of Waldron Group. 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 10/8/2020

• Researchers from the University of California San Francisco have found that in non-hospitalized pregnant women, symptoms of Covid-19 can persist for as much as two months longer than in non-pregnant women. The researchers found several common symptoms of Covid-19 in the participants, but also those symptoms related to the virus were complicated by overlapping symptoms of normal pregnancy, including nausea, fatigue, and congestion. 
  
• Canadian research looking at the implementation of mask mandates in Ontario has found that within the first few weeks after implementation, mask mandates are associated with a reduction of 25 per cent in the weekly number of new COVID-19 cases. The investigators also say that findings from counterfactual policy simulations they conducted suggest that mandating indoor masks nationwide in early July could have reduced the weekly number of new cases in Canada by 25 to 40 per cent in mid-August—roughly 700 to 1,100 fewer cases per week across the country.
  
  
• Evidence from past coronavirus outbreaks suggests that the 'brain fog' experienced by some individuals who recover from infection may in part or entirely be the result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) arising from the patient's experience of the infection and treatment, according to a recent study. In the paper the authors make recommendations for differentiating neuropsychological deficits due to PTSD from those due to acquired brain injuries related to infection. 

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY...

Right now I am pursuing a news article on some Canadian research that aimed to classify variations in the morphology of the frontalis muscle in the forehead, and how those variations may interact with cosmetic procedures in the area.

TONIGHT I AM EATING...

It's getting cooler, and that means it's soup and stew season once again. Carrots, celery root, and onions will be going for a long, slow bath in some chicken stock, with some pearl barley and a mess of spices.

LATER I WILL BE LISTENING TO...

99% Invisible, episode 413: Ubiquitous Icons: Highways 101

This recent episode of my favourite podcast on design styles itself 'a crash course in roadside signage.' We all know what a stop sign is, but how often do we ask 'why is it an octagon?' Should be a fun ride.

HEY HEY, TURKEY DAY

Tomorrow my colleague Kylie Rebernik will ease us into the belt-loosening weekend that hosts Thanksgiving here in Canada. Stay safe and stay warm, CurveFlatteners.