CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING

Here’s a thought that, two weeks ago, would have been unimaginable: COVID-19 has been displaced as front-page fodder. Given the likelihood of a fall/winter resurgence and that even the most unprecedented and optimistic timeline puts a vaccine half a year away, the coronavirus crisis will likely reclaim that real estate before too long. Yet here we are. This week’s Coronavirus Briefing is 979 words and will take you five minutes to read.

The news

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Public health authorities told The Atlantic that protests over the murder of George Floyd, other acts of police brutality and systemic racism will facilitate the spread of COVID-19, with a spike in cases expected within two weeks. In a lengthy interview with STAT, Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized the possibility of having a vaccine by the end of the year as “aspirational, but… certainly doable.” He also weighed in on compressed clinical trial timelines and the size of trial cohorts. An investigation by The Guardian has revealed that the World Health Organization and governments have based some coronavirus-related decisions on flawed data from Surgisphere, a little-known analytics company. Two top medical journals, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine, published studies informed by Surgisphere data. Now is probably not the best time to mention that weather forecasters anticipate a busier-than-usual hurricane season, is it? Consumer Reports offers advice on revising emergency plans in the age of COVID-19.

The Takeaway:

The cascading effects of COVID-19 are only beginning to be felt on the scale predicted at the beginning of quarantine. They’re likely to reverberate for years.

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The brands

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Even as they trip over themselves to appear thoughtful, decent and committed to diversity in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing protests, brands have managed their COVID-19 responses nimbly and, in most cases, sensitively.

PRWeek’s Diana Bradley examines the uncertainty surrounding back-to-school campaigns, a brand mainstay that will look very different in the fall – that is, if students are back in classrooms by then. During Tuesday’s Campaign Connect virtual conference session with Campaign Asia-Pacific group director Atifa Silk, S4 Capital leader and former WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell described COVID-19 as the “burning platform” for digital acceleration. In another Campaign Connect session, this one detailed by Campaign Asia’s Matthew Miller, Mastercard global CMO Raja Rajamannar shares how “a healthy dose of advanced crisis game-planning” helped the brand sustain itself during the pandemic. 2e CEO Ross Toohey writes in MM&M about the need for healthcare marketers to evolve their approach in the wake of the coronavirus crisis – and how it may have already forced their hands, whether they realize it or not. To accommodate young flyers in the COVID-19 era, budget airline easyJet has introduced facemask covers inspired by comic books, PRWeek UK reports.

The Takeaway:

We’ve all been in making-the-best-of-a-miserable-situation mode for some time now, but certain brands appear to be adapting better than others. As stay-at-home orders lift, it will be interesting to see if these same brands can pivot once again.

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The eldercare devastation

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Early reports about the impact of coronavirus on nursing-home populations were alarming. The most recent ones are much, much worse. There needs to be a reckoning around our treatment of vulnerable aging populations.

A USA Today analysis of state data found 40,600 COVID-19 deaths were tied to U.S. nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that 25,923 residents have died, but that sum includes data from federally regulated nursing homes and not assisted-living facilities. The “Characteristics of U.S. Nursing Homes with COVID-19 Cases” study determined that size, location and the number of black residents, rather than star/quality ratings, most closely correlate with the incidence of coronavirus transmissions and deaths in eldercare facilities, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News reports. McKnight’s Senior Living’s Kimberly Bonvissuto examines a report by Marcus & Millichap Research Services that suggests the senior living industry’s prognosis moving forward remains positive, despite the havoc and devastation wrought by COVID-19.

The Takeaway:

Nothing about coronavirus was predictable six months ago. But lessons must be learned from the egregiously higher impact of COVID-19 on people living in eldercare facilities compared to the general population.

The science

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We’re learning a little more every day. Whether or not the pace is quick enough is a different question, but there’s no question scientific and medical communities are attacking the crisis with admirable vigor.

In Infectious Disease Advisor, Dr. Andy Kistler assesses the prevalence of atypical gastrointestinal presentations in COVID-19 patients, which in the worst instances include GI bleeding, hemorrhagic colitis and acute hepatitis. Also in IDA, Rita Aghjayan examines the dangerous coagulation abnormalities that have been observed in patients. Cardiology Advisor offers seven suggestions for practices considering a transition to telemedicine amid the coronavirus pandemic. GPonline’s Luke Haynes shares data from Cancer Research UK, which estimates approximately 2.4 million people are experiencing delays in cancer tests or treatment amid the coronavirus crisis.

The Takeaway:

We’re smarter than we were, but not as smart as we’ll be. Let’s keep heading in the right direction.

The rest

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People Management considers thorny questions around addressing employee underperformance and misbehavior and avoiding discrimination claims during lockdown. Conference & Incentive Travel shares tips from event planners on safely transitioning indoor events into outdoor facilities. The publication also reports that nearly two out of three planners believe live events will return before this year is out. Horticulture Week reports on Veg Power, a chef- and nutritionist-backed appeal to prompt U.K. residents to eat more seasonal vegetables – and thus support local food producers – during the coronavirus pandemic.

…and some songs

Bob Dylan, Everything Is Broken Curtis Mayfield, Keep On Keeping On Lucinda Williams, Dust

Going forward, the Haymarket Media Coronavirus Briefing will be published and distributed once a week every Wednesday, so we’ll see you again then. In the meantime, be safe and well, friends.