38 min

Covid -19 science versus politics Science In Action

    • Science

With the announcement in the UK of investment in rapid testing for people who may not have Covid -19 we ask why is this only happening now? For months on this programme we’ve featured scientific research suggesting such a strategy would be the quickest way to end the pandemic.
We speak with Connie Cepko and Brian Rabe who have developed a rapid test and Manu Prakash who is currently rolling it out to countries in the global south.
Could a huge motorcycle rally really have been the source of over a quarter of a million Covid -19 infections? That’s the finding of a study by economist Andrew Friedson he tells us how mobile phone data helped to determine that figure.
And the politics of vaccines, Many health officials in the US have spoken out against president Trumps claim that a vaccine may be ready before the November presidential election. Helen Branswell from Stat news tells us why there is so much concern over political attempts to manipulate science.
(Image:Getty Images)
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

With the announcement in the UK of investment in rapid testing for people who may not have Covid -19 we ask why is this only happening now? For months on this programme we’ve featured scientific research suggesting such a strategy would be the quickest way to end the pandemic.
We speak with Connie Cepko and Brian Rabe who have developed a rapid test and Manu Prakash who is currently rolling it out to countries in the global south.
Could a huge motorcycle rally really have been the source of over a quarter of a million Covid -19 infections? That’s the finding of a study by economist Andrew Friedson he tells us how mobile phone data helped to determine that figure.
And the politics of vaccines, Many health officials in the US have spoken out against president Trumps claim that a vaccine may be ready before the November presidential election. Helen Branswell from Stat news tells us why there is so much concern over political attempts to manipulate science.
(Image:Getty Images)
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

38 min

Top Podcasts In Science

All In The Mind
ABC listen
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC Radio 4
Dr Karl Podcast
ABC listen
Science Vs
Spotify Studios
Skeptoid
Brian Dunning
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

More by BBC

Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC Radio 4
Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley
BBC Radio 4
6 Minute English
BBC Radio
Desert Island Discs
BBC Radio 4