Who's under pressure right now? Ontario Premier Ford, for one. And me. And you

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. 

⇒ Issue #184 (In numerology, 184 represents achievement and great success.)
⇒ Worldwide Covid cases as of 04/30: 150,589,477*
⇒ Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 04/30: 3,167,837*
⇒ Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 04/30: 1,220,108*
⇒ Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 04/30: 24,164*
⇒ Number of vaccine doses administered to Canadians as of 04/30: 13,131,871*

April 30, 2021—Happy Friday, CurveFlatteners. It's NPC Podcast Producer Jeremy Visser working the old keyboard today. With my final week of post-secondary school coinciding with the start of a busy summer, you could say I'm feeling the pressure. As we in the Province of Ontario get nearer to the end of our third stay-at-home order, I'm reflecting on Ontario Premier Doug Ford, another cat who has clearly also been under pressure.

If I sound sympathetic, let me wipe those worries from your mind. We're all familiar with the Ontario lockdown measures and the Premier's lead foot when it comes to the emergency brake, as well as his focus on vaccinating seniors in LTC homes after the majority of the damage had been done. Let's say that his reaction speed to emergencies has been something a degree short of praiseworthy.

I can almost relate. Sometimes my best work is done a couple hours before an assignment is due, sometimes I need the pressure to motivate me. However, I like to think I work well under duress. About two weeks ago, Premier Ford promised new policing powers in enforcing the stay-at-home order and immediately back-pedalled after public outrage. 

Similarly under the gun, after ignoring and declining any requests to institute paid sick days for front-line workers, Premier Ford has suddenly changed his tune. He announced that a temporary paid sick-day program would be put in place. This allows workers to receive up to $200 a day for up to three days of sick leave, and will not require sick notes. The program will be retroactive to April 19th and expire on September 25th. Critics have called the program "too little and too la e," but critics will claim that's on par with Ontario's response to the pandemic, writ large. Some under pressure seem to do better than others.

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 Josh Neiman, Senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer of BeiGene Limited. 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 04/30/2021

• According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, Covid-19 and remote learning has led to worsened mental health in youth. The researchers surveyed 32,000 caregivers in Chicago and found that a quarter of adolescents and children were described by their caregivers as anxious, angry, stressed or agitated with remote learning. A third was described as lonely, while only a third were described as having positive personal and social relationships. Researchers also noted that Black and Latino participants reported significantly more stressors than other participants. 

• More stringent public health measures were associated with lower cases of Covid-19 death, according to a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. the University of Miami looked at cases in Florida during the first two months of the pandemic and found lower cases correlated with the use of face masks, social distancing, closure of schools and businesses, and stay-at-home orders. However, once restrictions were loosened, they saw an uptick in transmissions 10 to 17 days later.

• A study published in Demographic Research links the increased deaths of Hispanics from Covid-19 to work exposure. Researchers at Ohio State University have linked the overrepresentation among Hispanics in essential industries and occupations such as warehousing, construction, and health care to increased Covid-19 deaths. CDC data shows that while Hispanics constitute 19 per cent of the population, they accounted for 41% of deaths.

WHAT CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Season 4 of the NPC Podcast is deep underway and we've been going through a flurry of interviews and may even have some other audio endeavours to announce soon. You can listen to our host Peter Brenders and his esteemed series of guests at pharmacongress.info. The NPC Podcast is presented in cooperation with Impres Pharma.

RIGHT NOW, WE ARE READING... 

Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. A friend lent me a copy of the classic manga about a wandering samurai during the Meiji period in Japan. It's wildly entertaining and now has left me with a desire to read up on my Japanese history.

RIGHT NOW, WE ARE LISTENING TO...

"Under Pressure" by Queen with David Bowie. This track fits the theme of today's CurveFlattener content, beside which Bowie's collaboration with Freddie Mercury is legendary. My only regret is I didn't get to use his duet with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails on the song "I'm Afraid of Americans." That would have been very topical right around the time the Canada-U.S.A. land border closed.

HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Please use the comments section at the 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. Enjoy your weekend and Allan Ryan will be back with the DCF on Thursday. Until then, we have Skin Spectrum Weekly on Monday, the NPC Healthbiz Weekly on Tuesday, and the CJMC Fortnightly on Wednesday.