The after-effects of India’s lethargic COVID-19 response has resulted in a social fracture
China first reported the detection of an unknown strain of virus in Wuhan to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 31, 2019. That event changed the world. Eleven million residents of Wuhan city were placed under an unprecedented quarantine. Soon thereafter, Italy quarantined around 16 million people in the country’s Lombardy region. Within days,…
Why are we biting the hand that saved us?
For some people, no good deed deserves to be rewarded – at least not by making a profit, which they treat as if it were a dirty word. Even saving millions of lives, as pharmaceutical companies have undoubtedly done by delivering safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to market in record time, is no excuse for…
Available workers are rarer than openings now. Smart business people will start making adjustments so we can all enjoy some prosperity
At last we’re beginning to see beyond the pandemic to a return to more normal times. Businesses are reopening. Corporations have capital to invest and are starting to do so. Thanks to government support during the pandemic, many people have savings to spend. The combination of a liberation from lockdown and all these available funds…
As tourists start their migration toward Canada, there’s hesitancy about the industry's readiness to manage the tsunami of people
Canadians are ready for the borders to reopen and will flock to sun destinations next winter like never before. The number of people who have said that they’re ready to “get out of Dodge” and “fly the coop” is an indication that there’s a pent-up demand for travel and excursions that has been bolstered by…
U of A researchers find SARS-CoV-2 infects immature red blood cells, reducing oxygen in the blood and impairing immune response
A new study published in the journal Stem Cell Reports by University of Alberta researchers sheds light on why many COVID-19 patients, even those not in hospital, are suffering from hypoxia – a potentially dangerous condition in which there’s decreased oxygenation in the body’s tissues. The study also shows why the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone has been…
Since independence India has seen the addition of one billion citizens, persistent communalism and little change for the marginalized
The COVID-19 pandemic may be the most important event of our lifetimes. It will define the legitimacy of governments and leave long-lasting impressions about how societies responded on behalf of their citizens. The devastation being played out across India is beyond tragic – it was predictable, ignored, supported by willful blindness and even encouraged. As…
COVID-19 has been part of our lives for what feels like an eternity – and then some. The starting point remains a bit sketchy, truth be told. It officially began when China first reported people exhibiting pneumonia-like symptoms at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan City on Dec. 31, 2019. A World Health Organization…
The masks needed to be reusable and seal around the nose so the user’s glasses don’t fog up
James McCrimmon is the inventor of an accessory to keep your beer cool. His Alberta-based business relies on major events like Canadian Football League games and rodeo for sales. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, McCrimmon found his proverbial keg empty. But instead of crying into his frosty mug, he decided to reimagine his product into…
If someone decides against vaccination, their decision should be respected
Vaccination passports are being touted as the answer to getting our travel industry and other businesses up and running again after the COVID-19 pandemic. You would simply produce their papers and airline tickets could be purchased, access gained to restaurants, hockey games, etc. Why would anyone object to such a sensible proposal? Because the idea…
The camera doesn’t doesn’t lie. The stuffed characters behind the head of government in COVID news conferences are always on
Who are those people standing behind the newsmaker at press conferences? I see them in the hallways of legislatures when the party leader is making an announcement. I see them in a studio behind the head of government during a COVID-19 news conference. “Oh,” you say, “they’re showing that governing is a team effort and…