COVID-19 Two Years On

Season 1, Episode 9

It was a moment that most people won’t forget any time soon. Just over two years ago, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. It was on March 11, 2020, when Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, took to the microphone at a press conference in Geneva to make this declaration—saying that this was the first time a coronavirus had sparked a pandemic. 

Most of us were stunned, and our lives would be forever changed. The world seemingly went into lockdown overnight, masks and hand sanitizer became common accessories in most households, and the term social distancing became part of our vocabulary. Now, two years into the pandemic, many of us are still wondering: When will it end? 

This week, we’ll be speaking with Dan Werb, an award-winning writer and epidemiologist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, The Believer, and The Walrus, among other places. His latest book, The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure, chronicles the emergence of coronavirus science across multiple epidemics. And we recently ran an excerpt of it at thewalrus.ca. 

Werb talks about how long this pandemic is expected to last (and whether it will ever end). 

Werb then talks about global vaccine inequity. 

He then explains why he decided to write a book about the history of human coronaviruses and how scientists have studied them and tried to stop them. 

He then talks about the scientists who have been researching coronaviruses for decades and how they have come to the forefront of popular culture during this pandemic.

Then, he speaks about the danger of the COVID-19 misinformation that has been spreading during this pandemic. 

And he explains the market incentives to create vaccines and the importance of funding public science.  

Werb then shares what he is currently reading right now.

Finally, we check in on what we're talking about this week at The Walrus.

• A Nineteenth-Century Pandemic May Be a Window into Coronaviruses 

• Ask a Refugee Expert: How Will War in Ukraine Impact Immigration?
• The Walrus Leadership Forum: Technology and Treatment
• The Walrus Talks at Home: Youth and the Climate Crisis

Facebook @thewalrus

Twitter @thewalrus 

Instagram @thewalrus

Looking to get in touch about the podcast? You can reach us at [email protected]. 

Hosted and produced by Sheena Rossiter and Angela Misri, with editing by Sheena Rossiter

Music provided by Audio Jungle. Our theme song is “This Podcast Theme” by Inplus Music Additional music: “Stay Cool” by Loops Lab; “Podcast Intro” by Inplus Music; “Ethereal Relaxation,” “Impact Prelude,” and “Screen Saver” by Kevin MacLeod, provided by Film Music. 

Impact Prelude by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7565-impact-prelude

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Screen Saver by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5715-screen-saver

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Ethereal Relaxation by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/8719-ethereal-relaxation

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Additional sources: Global News, The World Health Organization, and Late Night with Seth Meyers on YouTube.