One year later: Hey, did we just walk in a 360-degree circle?

The NPC Healthbiz Weekly will keep informing you through 2021 because it's what we do. It's your weekly briefing on topics pertinent to healthcare marketers and executives. Proudly published in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions. 

⇒ Issue #171 (In numerology, 171 is all about maintaining positivity and happiness.)

⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 03/12: 118,689,552*

⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 03/12: 2,631,949*

⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 03/12: 905,339*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 03/12: 22,367*

⇒ Number of vaccine doses administered to Canadians as of 03/12: 2,719,317*

March 12, 2021—Happy Friday, CurveFlatteners. It's assistant editor Kylie Rebernik at the control panel this morning. We've limped to the finish line on Week 52 of our little misunderstanding with the coronavirus -- and guess what? If you happen to live in the greater Toronto area, you have progressed from the level of Triple Platinum Maxi-caution stay-at-home lockdown to…. plain vanilla lockdown. This status arrives just in time for the first anniversary of the initial "two weeks, just to flatten the curve” lockdown, back in March 2020. If anyone remembers. 

You may be asking yourself: what is the difference between the stay-at-home lockdown and lockdown? Within Ontario’s Covid-19 framework, the malls are open, and you can be proximitous to friends and family while outdoors. Essentially, this brings Toronto and the surrounding area in a full 360-degree circle over the course of one year. Ah, and what a year! According to the National Post, in the 365 days since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization still can't provide sufficient evidence on the outbreak's origin. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was suggested the Covid-19 originated from a lab leak, while conflicting stories suggested it spontaneously crossed the species barrier to humans. 

And one year later, now comes the urgent effort to vaccinate the human race. According to the Centres for Disease Control, fully-vaccinated U.S. residents can gather without face-masks and do not have to social-distance. Excellent news for that cohort. Now the question becomes, when will those of us in the Great White North get vaccinated? With four different vaccines available to Canadians, a recent article published by CTV News advised against “vaccine shopping.” Dr. Anna Banergi says, “Everyone should get vaccinated as soon as possible, rather than waiting a month or two to get the vaccine of their choice, because the best way not to get Covid is to get vaccinated. And delays,,, put you at risk.” 

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 Paul Petrelli, general manager of Jazz Pharmaceuticals. The NPC Podcast is proudly presented in cooperation with Impres Pharma

COVID CHRONICLE 03/12/2021

• A recent news article published in Nature (Mar.10,2021) has summarized key findings from the Covid-19 variant. According to research, people who have contracted the new variant strain of Covid-19 have an immune response that can fight against multiple strains of Covid-19. 

• Low zinc levels may be a risk factor to Covid-19. Published in Nutrients (Feb. 9, 2021), researchers reviewed data from 249 participants, with 23 per cent of participants having low serum zinc levels at admission. Those who had lower zinc levels were more likely to experience severe Covid-19 symptoms with a recovery time that was three times longer than participants with healthy zinc levels.  

• Denmark suspended using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure after some patients have reported developing blood clots after receiving the vaccination. The precautionary measure will be for at least two weeks until the claims can be investigated. 

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, approved by the College of Family Physicians the Ontario Chapter for up to 5.25 mainpro+ credits. Other faculty include Prof. Blair Stonechild, Dr. Carrie Bourassa and Dr. Veronica McKinney. 

RIGHT NOW I AM WATCHING 

As the binge-watching continues, I am currently on a 12 season marathon of "Bones." All 12 seasons are available on the Amazon Prime streaming service. Well, sometimes you just need something to provide a distraction in the background. 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK

Your CurveFlattener returns Thursday (first day of the Indigenous Skin Spectrum Summit) with editorial assistant and podcast producer Jeremy Visser at the keyboard. Stay safe until we see you again.