Countdown to the first-ever Covid Canada Day: An American perspective.
Mitchell Shannon
Chronicle Companies Owner | Publishing, Education, Marketing Communications
Join us and the more than 250 delegates who have already registered for today's Summer Webinar of the National Pharmaceutical Congress: "Pharma's Purpose, People & Process Post-Covid. Who Will Thrive? Who Will Be Left Behind?" Featured panellists are Ronnie Miller, Hoffmann-La Roche; Mike Egli, Aspen Healthcare Canada; Claude Perron, Amicus Therapeutics; Danielle Portnik, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; Peter Brenders, Kontollo Health [lead panellist]; Mitch Shannon, Chronicle Companies [host.] Happening Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 to noon (EDT.) Sign up here.
? Issue #60
? Confirmed Covid cases in Canada as of 06/23: 103,418*
? Confirmed Covid fatalities in Canada as of 06/23: 8,494*
? Worldwide Covid cases as of 06/23: 9,115,398*
? Worldwide Covid fatalities as of 06/23: 472,521*
June 23—Are those explosions I'm hearing from my listening post on the other side of the 49th Parallel? I believe they are. It's Chronicle's Cory Perla here, ducking and covering while hunting and pecking at the keyboard to produce this morning's Daily CurveFlattener.
Besides the constant barrage of fireworks happening in many major U.S. cities (and the conspiracy theories that have followed), here is how the Lower 48 (and Alaska and Hawaii and territories and protectorates) are handling the ongoing Covid-19 crisis this week.
On a recent episode of the podcast Learning Curve, which is the official podcast of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Anthony Fauci touched on anti-science bias in the U.S.A.
"One of the problems we face in the United States is that unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias that people are — for reasons that sometimes are, you know, inconceivable and not understandable — they just don't believe science and they don't believe authority," he said.
The states that did follow the science are now on track to contain Covid-19 successfully, according to the website Covid Act Now—a data analysis project partnered with Stanford and Georgetown University—while states that did not follow the science may be in trouble.
The interactive website has based these categorizations on data points like infection rate, positive test rate, and ICU headroom used. States such as New York, New Jersey, and Michigan have flattened the curve, while Missouri, Alabama, George, and Arizona have active outbreaks.
Thankfully, it sounds as if the outbreaks are not being caused by protests, according to the online magazine Slate. Places where the largest demonstrations have taken place, such as Minneapolis and Philadelphia have not seen surges. However, places where bars reopened, like Texas and Arizona, have seen spikes.
And perhaps not-so-thankfully, the CNN network is reporting that the United States is stuck with 63 million doses of hydroxychloroquine, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revoked its emergency use authorization.
May I take this opportunity to wish all Canadians the happiest of Canada Days next week? And if anyone doubts my sincerity, please know that it happens I was born on July 1st, so that day is special to me in several different ways. Chimo, everyone. Let's go, Blue Jays... when and, of course, if baseball resumes.
COVID CHRONICLE 06/23/20
- A study on how the coronavirus may have spread due to the Black Lives Matter protests found significant evidence that the protests may have actually increased the likelihood of people staying at home. Media reports of violence and regional curfews both played a part in keeping people in their homes, according to the study. Researchers concluded by saying "we find no evidence that urban protests reignited COVID-19 case growth during the more than two and a half weeks following protest onset."
- Individuals with Type 1 diabetes are more susceptible to severe coronavirus outcomes, according to a recent study. Researchers said that the most prevalent comorbidity for those who experience an adverse outcome with their study of patients with Covid-19 was diabetic ketoacidosis. This has led experts to encourage those with diabetes to keep vigilant in tracking their blood sugar levels.
- A study of wastewater in Italy found that the virus was already circulating through the population of the European country in December. Researchers looked at samples of wastewater collected between October and February and found traces of the virus from late December, even though Italy's first case was not recorded until the middle of February. Investigators hope that their findings will shed light on how the virus spreads.
- Asthma is not a significant risk factor for hospitalization due to Covid-19, according to a new study. “We would usually expect for asthmatic patients to have worse outcomes, as viral illness often can set off asthma exacerbations,” said Dr. Anju T. Peters, an author of the study. The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, looked at more than 1,500 Covid-19 patients, of which 220 had asthma. Corticosteroid prescription for asthmatics was also not a factor for hospitalization, according to researchers.
STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY
Yours truly spoke with an expert on telemedicine apps to uncover how they implement privacy features and what is in store for the future of virtual doctors appointments.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE LISTENING TO...
Come to Canada, You Will Like It by Project Pablo. The Montreal, Quebec-based musician and DJ shifted from bassy dance-floor house music to warm, jazzy electronics on his 2018 full-length record; perfect as mellow background music for relaxing on the lawn, taking in some rays, and flipping through a good book.
LATER WE'RE READING...
Speaking of good books, I picked up The Left Hand of Darkness from the curbside of my local bookstore this week. The sci-fi novel, which is about a scientist studying civilization on another planet, explores themes like sex, gender, and societal perceptions.
TONIGHT WE'RE COOKING...
One-pot vegetarian spaghetti. Mmmm, comfort food.
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO REPORT
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