January 29, 2021 Epidemiology The variant is to model outcome predictions as Asimov’s Foundation series’ Mule was in Hari Seldon’s Psychohistory projections. Extracting six doses per vial instead of five is like Jean Luc Picard being told there are five lights when there are four.
January 21, 2021 Clinical Research Israeli real-world Pfizer vaccine study reports infection rates dropped by 33% in treatment group of 200K people >60 y.o vs 200K controls after 21 days, less than predicted by proponents of delaying 2nd dose. Stay on schedule until proven otherwise.
January 20, 2021 Allergy/Immunology California investigating why less than 10 people at one specific vaccination site (but not anywhere else) developed possible allergic reactions from specific lot of Moderna vaccine. Was it the vaccine or some other source?
January 15, 2021 Epidemiology Understandable frustration expressed by Ontario MPP citing selective evidence to end lockdowns and ‘go back to normal life’. The outcome of his ‘exit strategy’ is what happened in Sweden. Instead, do what other successful countries have done.
December 29, 2020 Clinical Research What are some of the concerns about the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 with respect to transmission, number of fatalities, and its impact on children?
December 22, 2020 Health Policy City of Ottawa lockdown in four days. Why have the original benchmarks for lockdown been jettisoned? Mayor Watson cites “no facts to support a lockdown” and Ottawa’s medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches expresses disappointment with decision.
December 21, 2020 Health Policy What is the rationale for Ontario Government’s intention to lock down Ottawa for 28 days when there are zero admissions to ICU and infection rates are low and manageable? What benchmarks are being used? (no sarcasm)
December 17, 2020 Epidemiology “Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, it doesn’t go away” – Philip K. Dick. The Grand Bargain to quarantine before holiday gatherings is a false pretense: Not enough time, false negative testing risk, and a dash of motivated reasoning.
December 16, 2020 Emergency Medicine Ontario hospitals alerted to prepare for a spike in COVID-19 patients as hospital ICU admissions approach capacity affecting ability to meet increasing demands for both COVID and non-COVID-related care
December 10, 2020 Allergy/Immunology Adverse allergic reactions reported with Pfizer vaccine was expected. Briefing documents showed 6/1000 in treatment group and 5/1000 in placebo group had allergic reactions. Vaccine eligibility will be refined after determining the nature of the reactions