One more Covid oopsie: Scarce vaccines get trashed, owing to poor instructions

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 #151 (In numerology, 151 signifies analysis, introspection, independence, intuition, leadership and expression of personal freedom.)

⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 12/18: 492,582*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 12/18: 13,940*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 12/18: 75,084,964*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 12/18: 1,665,008*

December 18, 2020—Hi-de-ho, CurveFlatteners (I say to you, borrowing the greeting made popular the world over by Chronicle's John "The Hi-De-Ho Man" Evans.) This is Kylie Rebernik, welcoming you to the Weekend Edition of the Daily CurveFlattener. With the holiday season here, this is the last Friday DCF of 2020. 

Last week Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out in many countries across the world, including Canada and the United States. With the vaccine in limited supply, an article in Vice (Dec 17, 2020) reports that hundreds of doses have been inadvertently thrown out. It appears that some vials contain extra doses. Each is supposed to contain precisely five doses, but some vials contain up to seven. Before new instructions were given yesterday by the U.S. FDA, many pharmacies and hospitals were throwing out the extra doses, unaware of the excess. A hospital in New York threw out 15 to 20 doses before word went out, according to an article published in the New York Times (Dec. 16, 2020). 

In Canada, we have our own issues with the vaccine. Specifically, there is disarray in rolling out vaccination programs in Indigenous and rural communities. The CBC (Dec. 16, 2020) reports that although Indigenous people have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19, they are not the first in the queue to receive the vaccine. Moreover, there is no plan to get the vaccine to First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities. 

In an interview with CBC, Jerry Daniels, grand chief of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, said, "Our elders, we want them to be given priority, and anyone who is immune-compromised, is what we are hoping for. . . the future will tell us what's going on here with the way that the province [Manitoba] has allocated." The Southern Chiefs' Organization represents 34 First Nations and 80,000 people in southern Manitoba. 

Behind the dilemma: the Pfizer vaccine, developed with Germany's BioNTech, has to be stored at a temperature between -80° C to -60° C. Most rural communities do not currently have access to equipment that reaches these temperatures. 

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 most recent guest is Mike Cloutier. 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 12/18/2020

• An article published in BMJ (Dec. 15, 2020) has highlighted relaxing restrictions over the holiday break will overwhelm health services. The call for more restrictions is being echoed in Ontario as cases reach over 2,000 a day. Specifically, hospitals are requesting tighter restrictions as healthcare workers and hospitals are overwhelmed. 
• A new study published in JAMA (Dec. 14, 2020) has found that approximately 20 per cent of patients discharged from a hospital after having Covid-19 are readmitted with 60 days of discharge and approx. Ten per cent of patients died after discharge. The most common readmission diagnoses included Covid-19, sepsis, pneumonia and heart failure. 
• Researchers have proposed new behavioural strategies to encourage people to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Some strategies include: Offering the vaccine with charge; making the vaccine mandatory to enter certain social spaces such as the workplace or schools; assuring that the vaccine is endorsed by trusted leaders, and; giving priority access to those who sign up for the vaccine early. The article was published in JAMA (Dec. 14, 2020).

TODAY CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON

Chronicle is working with the curriculum committee for the upcoming Indigenous Skin Spectrum Summit, including Drs. Gary Sibbald and Rachel Asiniwasis developing the program for the Indigenous SSS and Canada's first National Close the Gap Day. The event will be held on March 18 and 20, 2021.  

TONIGHT WE ARE EATING...

As December dwindles, I am running out of creative meals, so I thought I would try my hand at what my trainer calls Crack Chicken. It involves chicken, a slow cooker, some olive oil and some spices. Not sure where the "crack" comes from. I'll report back later.

LATER I AM WATCHING...

The end of the year calls for the rewatching of some of my favourite Christmas movies. I will be partaking in watching for at least the hundredth time, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Griswolds forever.

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND

Please use 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. Chronicle will wrap up the 2020 DCF next Wednesday and Thursday when my colleagues Jeremy Visser and Allan Ryan pick up the coverage.