Encouraging trial results are just that. Next comes hard work

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.

⇒ Issue #135 (In numerology, 135 is humanitarian, tolerant, and self‑reliant.)
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 11/12: 280,462*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 11/12: 10,748*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 11/12: 52,256,150*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 11/12: 1,286,543*

November 12, 2020—We have limped past humpday this week, Curveflatteners, and while just getting here is welcome news, there is still work to do before the weekend. Similarly, while Mitch's post yesterday about the recent good news about the fight against Covid-19 was refreshing, there's still work to do against this pandemic.

The news about the encouraging trial results from Pfizer's vaccine candidate makes more urgent discussions on how to deploy a vaccine once it is available. CBC News reports on several identified challenges to deploying a vaccine. One issue is deciding who will receive the injections first—front-line medical personnel, the elderly, populations with less access to medical care such as indigenous peoples. But part of that decision-making process is knowing which participants in Pfizer's trial, in the vaccine and placebo groups, fell ill, and that information is not available yet.

The other major challenge is that Pfizer's product needs to be kept very cold before use—between –70 C and –80 C. Medical centres that have refrigeration system able to keep something that cold are rare outside of Canada's major population centres.

Also in the vein of 'that was good news, but there is work to be done' is apparent U.S. President-elect Joseph R. Biden, who has begun to assemble a coronavirus advisory board, the naming of which was the first major announcement by Biden's transition team.

Biden and his running-mate Kamala Harris met with this board on Monday, Nov. 9, and the board has released his plan for tackling the virus on a new web page, here: https://buildbackbetter.com/priorities/covid-19/

COVID CHRONICLE 11-12-2020

• For people who cannot avoid air travel, there is some helpful news. Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said in a Covid-19 briefing on Tuesday that there have been very few reports of infection occurring on commercial flights. “There have been very few reports, extremely rare reports, actually, of transmission aboard aircraft,” Dr. Tam said. “Very, very little.” This is likely due to the strict cleaning protocols and air filtration on aircraft, she said. 
• A group of researchers has published in Frontiers in Public Health a list of recommendations for managing feelings of burnout due to the extended use of online communication and learning platforms. With so many of us Zoomed out, and more restrictions coming in against public gatherings, this is some welcome help. Among their recommendations involve adding more breaks in online presentations, and finding ways to use more audio-only methods of conveying information, both to reduce sources of eye strain.
• Speaking of fatigue, a group of Irish researchers has found that fatigue is not only one of the earliest presenting symptoms of Covid-19, but it is also one that frequently persists for an extended period of time after a patient otherwise recovers. Published in PLOS ONE, the paper reports that more than half of the patients studied reported fatigue six weeks after their infection, and some patients experienced the symptom for up to 10 weeks.

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

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

For our Pediatric Chronicle publication, my colleague Jeremy Visser has reached out to the authors of a study comparing the effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy to watchful waiting in children with obstructive sleep apnea.

TONIGHT WE ARE WATCHING...

"Critical Role," season 2, episode 115, “Fetching Fables and Frosty Friends.” While I enjoy playing the classic tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, I didn't expect to enjoy watching other people play it. While I am absolutely a latecomer to this long-running gaming stream (and now multi-media brand), watching highlight clips has sold me on the characters, so we will see how long them can keep me snared.

LATER I AM EATING...

Baked chicken thigh and fried tomatoes. The trick to getting a crispy top on the chicken is to dry it off, season it all over with salt, and then dry it off again after an hour or so. The less moisture in the skin, the more it will crisp up. Some black pepper, brown sugar, and paprika rubbed into it just before baking will give it a lot of flavors, too. The acid of the tomatoes will help balance the fatty richness of the chicken, too.

FRIDAY FLATTENING

Join us again tomorrow as Kylie Rebernik brings us all the Curveflattening news you need going into the weekend.