The COVID-19 pandemic is making it even harder to get insulin

+ a big predicament at the 2022 Winter Games US Edition - Today's top story: Fewer diabetes patients are picking up their insulin prescriptions – another way the pandemic has delayed health care for many [View in browser]( US Edition | 13 November 2021 [The Conversation]( Tomorrow is [World Diabetes Day](, and this year’s theme is fittingly “Access to Diabetes Care.” The COVID-19 pandemic has made that access, already precarious for many people, even more limited. Insulin is a medication as essential as air and water to the approximately 7.4 million Americans who need it. But 1 in 4 of them were already rationing theirs before the pandemic because of prohibitively high costs. Ismaeel Yunusa, an assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of South Carolina, notes that [insulin prescriptions have dropped significantly]( since March 2020, along with the use of diabetes-related health care services. These care delays could put patients both at risk of potentially life-threatening complications and of COVID-19 exposure if they visit the emergency room. This week we also liked articles about the [workers quitting their jobs](, [Paul McCartney’s creative process]( and [how Buddhists think about and express kindness](. Vivian Lam Assistant Health and Biomedicine Editor The pandemic has made it harder for diabetes patients to receive the ongoing care they need. Maskot/Maskot via Getty Images [Fewer diabetes patients are picking up their insulin prescriptions – another way the pandemic has delayed health care for many]( Ismaeel Yunusa, University of South Carolina World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14 marks an increase in diabetes deaths and new diagnoses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hinder care for chronic conditions. Bannon faces potential jail time for contempt of Congress. Bryan Smith/AFP via Getty Images [Steve Bannon indicted over Jan. 6 panel snub, pushing key question over presidential power to the courts]( Jennifer Selin, University of Missouri-Columbia Donald Trump asked former aides not to testify before a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The Department of Justice has now charged one over that refusal. Will anodyne reporting from the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics play into China’s propaganda efforts? Kevin Frayer/Getty Images [Olympic Games are great for propagandists – how the lessons of Hitler’s Olympics loom over Beijing 2022]( Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine In the face of China’s repression and human rights abuses, a scholar asks whether cheerful media coverage of the Beijing Olympics in February 2022 signals complicity with Chinese propaganda. - [What Paul McCartney’s ‘The Lyrics’ can teach us about harnessing our creativity]( Edward Wasserman, University of Iowa The ‘Eureka!’ moment is a myth – an altogether naïve and fanciful account of innovation. - [The ‘great resignation’ is a trend that began before the pandemic – and bosses need to get used to it]( Ian O. Williamson, University of California, Irvine A record share of workers quit their jobs in September. A human resources scholar explains how this is a trend that predates the pandemic. - [What the world can learn from the Buddhist concept loving-kindness]( Brooke Schedneck, Rhodes College On World Kindness Day, a scholar of Buddhist studies explains its idea of compassion and the diverse ways to think about and express kindness. - [​7 ways to get proactive about climate change instead of feeling helpless: Lessons from a leadership expert]( Thomas S. Bateman, University of Virginia To learn to be more proactive, start by viewing yourself as someone who cares about the environment and the future. - [COP26 leaves too many loopholes for the fossil fuel industry. Here are 5 of them]( - [Should Elon Musk try to solve the problem of world hunger with $6 billion? 5 questions answered]( - [How 2 Jewish soldiers’ court-martials put a spotlight on antisemitism and racism]( - [4 unexpected places where adults can learn science]( - [3 ways Congress could hold Facebook accountable for its actions]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](