The NPC Healthbiz Weekly is here to keep on informing you through Q2 of 2021. It's your weekly briefing on topics pertinent to healthcare marketers and executives published in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions.
April 15, 2021—Good day, CurveFlatteners. You've got assistant editor Kylie Rebernik behind the keyboard today, coming to you from my couch during my "staycation."
What do you find yourself thinking about when you consider the Covid-19 pandemic? For me, most of the time, it is how drastically the last 12 months have changed the world. My impressions through this experience, it must be said, typically have been negative. I am sure that this is the same for most people.
However, sometimes small acts of kindness can turn into a small movement that makes you remember that, yes, some positive developments have arisen from this pandemic. For example, just before the lockdown, some 56 weeks ago, when everyone was panic-buying and stockpiling toilet paper, nine-year-old Hana Fatima (photo below) was shopping with her dad and noticed an elderly woman struggling with her groceries. Hana asked her dad if they could help her bring them to her car.
This small act has since spurred the "Good Neighbour Project," a group of volunteers across the Toronto area that voluntarily delivers groceries for those unable to get them for themselves. The group, started by Hana, her father and a few neighbours, now numbers more than 6,000.
Another uplifting element of Covid-19 is that this experience has shed light on how to check pollution. According to a recent article published online in The Conversation, the lockdown measures put in place by many countries, including closing schools, stores and limiting air travel, have reduced air pollution in urban areas by up to 45 per cent. The authors suggest that governments intact and review policies in place due to Covid-19 and see how they can be implemented in the future.
COVID CHRONICLE 04/15/2021
- Rare cases of blood clots have temporarily hindered the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccine rollout in Canada. Primarily based on data from the U.S., restrictive measures have been put in place after one woman in Quebec reported a blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
- A recent article published in the American Thoracic Society Annals (Apr. 6, 2021) has found that air pollution may lead to worse outcomes in patients diagnosed with Covid-19. According to the authors of the study, this may also explain the racial inequities of Covid-19 as air pollution is worse in marginalized neighbourhoods. The study highlights the need for stricter air pollution standards in these neighbourhoods.
- The Pfizer vaccine is not as effective against the South Africa variant of Covid-19. The study included 400 participants diagnosed with Covid-19 14 days or more after receiving the vaccine and 400 age and gender-matched patients who were not vaccinated. Researchers found that the South African variant was able to break through, and the prevalence rate was eight times higher in patients who received the vaccine compared to those who had not.
The team at Chronicle is working on the upcoming national Scleroderma Summit. It's a free virtual webinar for HCPs. More information will be coming soon.
Okay, it won't actually be later for me, because what else do you do during "staycation" other than binge-watch some Netflix, Crave or Prime? I am watching "The Fosters." All five seasons are currently available on Netflix.
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