As the world waits for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, we delve into how vaccines actually work. What are the different types of vaccine? How do they trigger and train the immune system, and what is the role of herd immunity?
Tag Archives: Covid-19
Global News: Covid-19 Policy Mistakes, Warren Buffett & Japan, French Diplomacy (Podcast)
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, covid-19: why are so many governments getting it wrong? What Warren Buffett sees in Japan Inc (8:11) and French diplomacy (16:00).
Top New Health Podcasts: ‘Flu Vaccine Season’ (BMJ)
With the annual flu season looming, GPs are anticipating a frenzy of vaccinations, perhaps more so than ever this year. As so many ‘flu and respiratory viruses circulate every year, and as the ‘flu vaccine is for one strain of influenza only, is the vaccine worth getting, and what are the risks associated with vaccinating vs. not vaccinating?
In this week’s episode, we discuss the high vaccine uptake in New Zealand, and the role that social distancing for COVID-19 may have played in their low numbers of seasonal flu. We also talk about whether or not the message we give to patients about the benefits and risks of vaccination is transparent enough, and how we might communicate better with them to allow them to make an informed decision. We feel pressure to increase vaccination rates, because we believe we are protecting people, but does the evidence support that?
Our guests: Nikki Turner is the director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC) at the university of Auckland. She is an academic general practitioner, and a professor at the university. Jeff Kwong is a professor at the University of Toronto, and the interim director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the university’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Newest Oldest Longest Shortest Random
Food Industry Video: ‘How Restaurants Will Be Preparing For Winter (WSJ)
About 90% of the Duck Inn’s current revenue comes from customers enjoying socially distant table service in their outdoor seating area. Especially in places like Chicago where temperatures drop below freezing, it’s one of many restaurants grappling with how to prepare for and survive winter.
Photo: Nicolas Silva for The Wall Street Journal
Fitness Industry: ‘How Gyms Are Preparing For The Future’ (WSJ Video)
How might the coronavirus pandemic transform the fitness industry? To find out, WSJ spoke with the CEO of Planet Fitness, an independent gym owner, and an industry analyst to learn about what we can expect for the future of fitness.
Morning News Podcast: Supreme Court Nominees, Covid-19 Deaths, stimulus
GOP Senators push to confirm Supreme Court nominee by election day, U.S. coronavirus death toll tops 200,000, and Illinois man has kept Richard Nixon’s unfinished sandwich for 60 years.
Political News: Shields & Brooks On The Covid-19 Vaccine Debate (PBS Video)
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including President Trump’s vaccine rhetoric, the administration’s political manipulation of science, Joe Biden’s campaign message for working-class voters and Trump’s approach to U.S. history education.
Morning News Podcast: Reassessing Forests And Fires, College Reopenings
Nearly 3.5 million acres of land have burned in California, making this the largest wildfire season recorded in the state’s history – and it’s only September. Fires are still raging up the entire west coast, air quality remains unhealthy, and entire forests have been decimated.
Our relationship with forests and fire is changing and will play a big role in how forests evolve.
- Plus, how colleges are reopening without a surge in infections.
- And, with the start of the Jewish New Year, synagogue High Holy Day services are going virtual.
Guests: Axios’ Bryan Walsh, Alison Snyder, and Erica Pandey and Benjy Renton, senior at Middlebury College.
New Science Podcasts: Covid-19 And The Decline Of Prison Populations
Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how jail and prison populations in the United States have dropped in the face of coronavirus and what kinds of scientific questions about public health and criminal justice are arising as a result.
Research:”The Costs Of A Covid-19 Vaccine” (Video)
As government and private money pour into the global race for a Covid-19 vaccine, drugmakers are under great pressure to keep the shot affordable while also keeping investors happy. WSJ explains what this means for the final price tag of the jabs.
Illustration: Crystal Tai
