Coronavirus Briefing: Medical breakthroughs, the future of PR, gardens and workplace nostalgia

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CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING Last week, we published a briefing that flip-flopped between bad news, and good(ish) news. We’re balancing today’s briefing in a similar vein, tempering the more negative with the more hopeful. Today’s Coronavirus Briefing is 1,078 words and will take you five minutes to read. Top news
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The U.S. has topped 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases — the most reported cases in the world. The number of new virus admissions at New York hospitals yesterday was below 1,000 for the first time in over a month — down from more than 3,000 on April 4. As scientists at the Jenner Institute prepare for mass clinical trials involving more than 6,000 people, new tests show their vaccine is effective in monkeys. A recent study by Harvard researchers shows that 31 U.S. states are not testing enough to open up safely. Jet Blue is the first airline to make wearing a mask mandatory. Undoubtedly the saddest news we’ve ever reported: A top E.R. doctor who treated virus patients died on Sunday by suicide.
The Takeaway:
Bad. Good. Hopeful. Scary. Thank you. Very sad.
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Medical breakthroughs
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This is all good, and aspirational news.
Alicia Lasek of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News digs into a World Health Organization-affiliated study that found weekly screening of healthcare and nursing home workers — regardless of symptoms and using quick-result, point-of-care tests — would reduce their contribution to transmission by about 25%. Also in McKnight’s, Danielle Brown reports on a newly formed Democratic House taskforce calling for the immediate distribution of $100 million in funding to long-term care facilities in their infection control efforts. Lawmakers are also calling on the Trump administration to ensure nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are part of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. Cancer Therapy Advisor spoke to Dr. Melvin LK Chua, who is part of the radiation oncology and medical sciences division at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, about cancer care and coronavirus. The interview includes Dr. Chua’s pioneering thoughts on why computed tomography (a medical imaging procedure that produces images allowing the user to see inside an object without cutting) might be a good testing method to supplement polymerase chain reaction (a method of making copies of a DNA sample, which allows scientists to amplify them to a large enough amount to study in detail). Brian Park of Monthly Prescribing Reference reveals that remestemcel-L looks promising for COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Mesoblast, an Australian-based regenerative medicine company, announced data from a phase 2/3 trial evaluating the drug in a trial being conducted at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City. “We intend to rapidly complete the randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial in COVID-19 ARDS patients to rigorously confirm that remestemcel-L improves survival in these critically ill patients,” said Dr. Silviu Itescu, Mesoblast’s chief executive director.
The Takeaway:
Fingers crossed we get to report positively about all of the above, in the coming weeks.
Outlook is hazy
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A range of views of our various futures: revolutionary, hopeful, dark, and progressive
In the past few years, mental health has moved from being a niche interest to a mainstream concern across society. John Harrington, editor of PRWeek U.K., expresses how the coronavirus crisis has given mental health new momentum, and submits evidence of the quiet revolution changing PR for the better. Chelsea Heath, a graduating PR major at San Diego State University and Broom Student Fellow, penned an op-ed for PRWeek U.S. explaining how postponing college graduation puts the “bitter” in “bittersweet.” Rob McKinlay reports for PRWeek Middle East that it’s a torrid time for PR in the region. A survey polled 72 organizations early this month, asking respondents about the impact of COVID-19 on the Middle East PR industry and issues affecting Middle East Public Relations Association members. More than 60% of respondents reported a negative outlook for the remainder of 2020. In People Management, Dr. Duncan Brown investigates just how much the coronavirus crisis has revealed the need for better pay and career progression for those in undervalued sectors, aka our newly designated “essential” workers.
The Takeaway:
A Magic 8-Ball seems like as plausible a barometer for what’s to come as anything, or anyone else these days.
Into the great wide open
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Lately, for every Instagram post of someone’s elaborate meal is an outdoor post of their new-found gardening skills.
Nicola Bird, founder of A Little Peace of Mind and author of a best-selling book of the same name, is launching The Floral Project to help encourage children to spend less time on their devices and more time in the garden. Horticulture Week’s Matthew Appleby takes a look at the local businesses and venue operators in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park that are donating goods, delivering food and medicine and providing online support to help vulnerable people and key workers during the coronavirus lockdown. After garden centers in the U.K. were forced to close on March 23 as non-essential retail, The Sun gardener and Horticulture Week columnist Peter Seabrook who lost his wife of 60 years to coronavirus, wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson pleading with him to allow garden centers, retail nurseries and gardens to open this weekend. Home gardening is blooming around the world during coronavirus. U.S. seed company Burpee has sold more seed in March than any time in its 144-year history thanks to all the people working from home looking for activities to occupy their free time and parents turning to gardening as an outdoor activity to do with children. “Gardening may be a rare positive trend to emerge from the crippling pandemic,” said Diane Blazek, executive director of the U.S. industry group National Garden Bureau. Whether you’re grabbing a spade to plant some new crops, venturing out for a stroll around the block or decided to pull the kids “out of school” and hit the road to live à la Captain Fantastic, here’s a handy list of what’s open when, and where, across the U.S.
The Takeaway:
If the virus returns this winter, we’re all going to have to learn vertical indoor farming.
Movies, a song, a poem
A brief rabbit hole of workplace nostalgia.
Working Girl Wall Street The Devil Wears Prada Glengarry Glen Ross Dolly Parton, “9 to 5” Carl Sandburg, “Chicago”
See you tomorrow in shoulder pads and feathered hair — in quarantine no one’s around to see...