Black Friday, the traditional bargain-pickers' extravaganza, adjusts to the pandemic

  

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 National Pharmaceutical Congress. More info at pharmacongress.info

⇒ Issue #142 (In numerology, 142 implies introspection and intuition.)

⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 11/27: 356,650*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 11/27: 11,818*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 11/27: 61,104,906*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 11/27: 1,434,509*

November 27, 2020—Hello young Curveflatteners, and a happy Black Friday to those bargain-seekers among you. Penning the final DCF of Movember is your soon-to-be cleanly-shaven (and 356,650mustache-less) NPC Podcast Producer Jeremy Visser, who will hereby attest that I am no relation to our NPC Podcast announcer, Liona Boyd-Visser.

Well, let's turn to the matter of the ritualized retail lollapalooza that is Black Friday. As an occasion infamous for annually attracting massive crowds of angry and senseless people, it's purpose is a bit askew in a year where massive crowds of angry and senseless people seem drawn to congregate for no particular reason. Toronto mayor John Tory has urged local retailers to halt in-person Black Friday sales. He urged Torontonians to try to shop at independent, local retailers and take advantage of curbside pickup, adding that "no deal, no TV, no clothing item, no video game is worth someone else getting Covid-19". 

Retailers across British Columbia have started Black Friday sales early in hopes that consumers will spread their shopping out over the week. The province recently mandated masks in public spaces and malls have lengthened their hours to help shoppers socially distance. 

With the recent lockdown in Toronto and neighbouring Peel region, small retailers who depend on foot traffic and in-person shopping are expected to take a hit. The pandemic has required many small businesses to branch out into virtual spaces and e-commerce. But going virtual comes with its own challenges, and it's hard to compete with Amazon when it comes to online commerce.

On Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told Ontarians they should only celebrate the holidays with people in their own household. The silver lining? If the confusing shopping rules this year result in your choosing inappropriate or unpopular gifts, at least you'll have fewer people disappointed gathered around the (shrivelled) Christmas tree.

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 Denis Hello. 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 11/27/2020

• Research published in the BMJ Respiratory Open suggests that early use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) can help save Covid-19 patients. The study from Lancaster University linked the use of CPAP machines in the first days of hospitalization to saving 10-20% of patients.  

• A survey conducted by the University of Michigan showed 58 per cent of adult participants aged 50 to 80 are very or somewhat likely to get vaccinated for Covid-19. The same participants were asked the question differently and 66 per cent confirmed, of whom 20 per cent would get vaccinated right away, while 46 per cent said they would wait for others to get vaccinated first.
• A recent study done at the University College London has suggested that Covid-19 mutations do not have increased transmissibility. The researchers analyzed virus genomes of over 46,000 people with Covid-19 from 99 different countries. The article was published in Nature Communications.

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

We are currently working away at our next virtual event: the Real World Medicannabis virtual symposium. You can learn more about it at realworld.events. 

RIGHT NOW WE ARE READING... 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Valero-O'Connell. I've been on a bit of a binge of less heteronormative loves stories and this young-adult graphic novel focusing on toxic relationships comes highly recommended in this genre. As a digital loan from Toronto Public Library, it's perfect for some light lockdown reading.

TONIGHT WE ARE WATCHING... 

The Mandalorian. Halfway through season 2 of the ridiculously popular, live-action, Star Wars show. Tonight's episode is possibly going to break the internet, or at least the section of it devoted to die-hard SW fans.

HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

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.

On Monday, the Skin Spectrum Weekly will be out, followed by the NPC Healthbiz Weekly on Tuesday. We'll be back here flattening curves on Wednesday, with Chronicle's Allan Ryan at the keyboard. Stay in touch, stay safe, avoid crowded shopping centres, and enjoy your weekend.