Vaccination rates: 38th in the world does not win Canada any bragging rights

The NPC Healthbiz Weekly is back to inform you through 2021. 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 Winter Webinar Feb. 10, 2021. More info at pharmacongress.info 

⇒ Issue #163 (In numerology, 163 is a harbinger of new beginnings.)
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 02/12: 821,932*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 02/12: 21,089*
⇒ Number of Canadians vaccinated as of 02/12: 1,186,401*
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 02/12: 107,875,463*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 02/12: 2,370,607*

February 12, 2021—Welcome to one more quarantined Friday, all you CurveFlatteners. If you happen to be in Canada's Ontario province -- where the license plates proclaim "A Place to Grow" but should really say "Don't Ask Us About Covid Vaccines" -- I hope you enjoy the coming holiday weekend. This is Kylie Rebernik reporting to you this morning from chilly Halton County.  

With Family Day weekend upon us, provinces across Canada are urging residents to stay at home. According to an article on the CBC website, Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health boss, and Adrian Dix, B.C.'s health minister, released a joint statement encouraging people to stay home and within their own communities: “This weekend is the weekend to stay home -- to show your family and friends you care by not giving Covid-19 the opportunity to spread.” Currently in B.C. there are 4,305 active cases of Covid-19 in the province, with health officials monitoring 6,820 people who are self-isolating due to exposure. 

Halfway across the country, lockdown measures will not be lifted in Ontario until after the Family Day weekend. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his health minister Christine Elliott announced some zones will reopen based on the province's colour-coded framework. Yesterday, Ontario recorded 945 new cases of Covid-19 but disclosed that the data are not accurate due to ongoing issues with data collection and reporting by Ontario Public Health. That's bound to raise confidence, not.

A world away, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on February 9 that most Covid-19 deaths over the past month were people who have not been vaccinated. As reported by CTV News, Netanyahu stated: “I want to give you a jarring fact: Over the last month -- the last 30 days -- 1,536 people have died in the State of Israel. More than 97 per cent had not been vaccinated. Fewer than 3 per cent [of fatalities] had been vaccinated.” According to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker, Canada has slipped to 38th place globally on the rate of vaccination rates of the population. 

With that in mind ("We're number 38! In your face, Nepal, Peru and Myanmar!"), I will be staying home this weekend and indulging in movie-watching, reading, puzzle-completion and sipping some craft beer. Maybe scratch that last phrase. What I really meant to say was "exercising on my new spin bike." Yes. That sounds much better.

The NPC Podcast is back for another season. The National Pharmaceutical Congress organizers are proud to release our new weekly podcast series, hosted by Peter Brenders. Peter's guest this week is Jim Shea, General Manager of the CCPE. 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 02/12/2021

• Real-world evidence out Israel has found that Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine may lead to lower viral loads, suggesting that it might be less likely to spread Covid-19 if patients become get infected post-vaccination. The study was released on Feb. 8, 2021, as a non-peer-reviewed preprint.  

• A recent survey of Canadian healthcare workers has shown that nurses have experienced the most significant mental health impact during the pandemic. The survey was conducted by Statistics Canada and included data from over 18,000 healthcare workers. According to the report, 37 per cent of nurses are experiencing mental health challenges, compared to 27 per cent of physicians. 

• A new joint survey by B.C. Children’s Hospital, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia will be exploring the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of school-aged children. One of the researchers, Dr. S. Evelyn Stewart, director of psychiatry research at the hospital, said the survey will help determine what types of support and services are needed during the remainder of this pandemic and any potential future pandemics. 

TODAY CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON

The Chronicle team is working with educational co-chairs Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis and Dr. Gary Sibbald on the upcoming Indigenous Skin Spectrum Summit (ISSS). The ISSS is a special session brought to you by the team behind the successful Skin Spectrum Summit, which is in its seventh year. The ISSS is currently awaiting final certification by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. You can learn more about the Summit here. 

RIGHT NOW I'M LISTENING TO

FlOWERS for VASES. From Hayley Williams, lead singer of pop-punk band Paramore has embarked on a solo career. Her new album, which was released this week, took the number one spot on the Apple Music chart, displacing Taylor Swift. 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK

The CurveFlattener will be back next Thursday with Chronicle's Jeremy Visser behind the keyboard. On Monday, watch for the Skin Spectrum Weekly e-newsletter and the NPC Healthbiz Weekly on Tuesday. Wednesday will bring the NPC Podcast. Until then, enjoy your weekend, and stay safe.