Inside Covid-19

In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we look at whether vaccines are likely to save the world from Covid-19. Linda van Tilburg, of BizNews, interviews Professor William Haseltine, a Harvard professor who has played an important role in developing treatments for HIV/Aids for his insights on how we can fight coronavirus. And, we interview Dr Shaun Barnabas of Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The University is part of a large international research trial testing one of the most promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates currently available. Also coming up on this show, we hear from our partners at Bloomberg about how speaking too loudly can facilitate the spread of Covid-19.

European countries like Great Britain are warning of a second wave of Covid-19, and the US is also poised for more coronavirus cases as the northern hemisphere heads towards winter. In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we hear from our partners at Bloomberg how the US is preparing. Also in this episode, we examine evidence that reducing the viral dose of Covid-19 can reduce the severity of the disease. BizNews reporter Linda van Tilburg speaks to an international infectious diseases expert Dr Monica Ghandi of the University of California, about new studies that have explored whether face masks can really help to protect us from Covid-19. And, we take a look at how the creative industries are surviving, with Gwen Ansell, an Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science and a jazz specialist who speaks to us about how the South African music industry is adapting to the era of Covid-19.

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to download the Covid SA Alert app. But, some people are worried that the app will not work and that it may be a case of Big Brother encroaching on citizens’ rights to privacy. Hear what the experts say about how the tracing app really works - and how it can help prevent another strict lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Also in this episode, an update on vaccine development in the US and a look at malnutrition as lockdown plunged more people into deep poverty.

In this episode: SA restrictions lift to level one. BizNews founder Alec Hogg interviews Discovery SA's chief executive officer Hylton Kallner, after the company’s financial results presentation. Veteran broadcaster Tim Modise speaks to Dr Jonathan Witt, a South African medical professional who argues that governments around the world, including South Africa, got it wrong in implementing ‘hard lockdowns’ against the Covid-19. And, BizNews reporter Linda van Tilburg picks up with tourism experts on what the government can do to kickstart that all-important sector of the economy.

In this episode, the driving force behind a charity that is feeding 100,000 desperately hungry people in deep rural areas puts the human face on the devastation Covid-19 lockdown has caused. Johannesburg-based Marilyn Bassin of the NGO Boikanyo – The Dion Herson Foundation, tells how a chain of about 35 NGOs is getting food parcels to people who are relying on a few tablespoons of porridge a day - and how many families don't eat for days. And, a leading sociologist Professor David Dickinson of the University of the Witwatersrand provides the macro picture of how life has changed dramatically for the worse for many people in cities too. - Jackie Cameron

In this episode, we hear about what driving patterns tell us about the impact of Covid-19 on the South African economy. Discovery Insure’s Head of Technical Marketing and Vitality Drive engagement, Precious Nduli, speaks to BizNews founder Alec Hogg about the effects of the national lockdown on behaviour, and how this evolved as the country began to re-open. As South African experts explore why death rates may not be as high in the country as elsewhere, an international expert speaks to BizNews about t-cells, which may account for higher immunity in township communities. Immunologist Dr Daniela Weiskopf of the Jolla Institute for Immunology speaks to BizNews reporter Linda van Tilburg about whether immunity is more prevalent in poorer, more crowded communities - and why this might be the case. - Jackie Cameron

Just over a quarter of South African adults are believed to have been infected with Covid-19, says Discovery Health CEO Ryan Noach, in a hard-hitting interview with BizNews founder Alec Hogg. In Cape Town's Khayelitsha, about 50% are believed to have contracted the disease. Noach advocates the safe opening of the economy so that there is no second wave. Hogg underscores the 'dire' economic consequences of strict lockdown and that it cost R46m for every life saved.

In this episode, we talk to a data and privacy law specialist Emma Sadleir on the skepticism surrounding Covid-19 contact tracing apps and Professor Shabir Madhi, one of South Africa’s pre-eminent experts on vaccines. Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand, he has published more than 350 studies in his field. Professor Madhi speaks to us about the latest developments in Covid-19 vaccine trials, including the news that the AstraZeneca Oxford trial has been temporarily put on hold. And he shares the details of a study that explores the possibility that South Africans may have developed immunity to Covid-19 as a result of exposure to other, similar diseases. Professor Madhi also sets out how the pandemic might develop - and says he disagrees that SA has a low Covid-19 death rate.

In this episode (81) we talk to Professor Christophe Fraser, of the University of Oxford, the man who advised the South African and British governments on the Covid-19 contact tracing app. And we speak to Stellenbosch university’s Professor Wolfgang Preiser, a virology expert of global standing on diseases that jump from animals to humans - and what the latest thinking is on Covid-19, which is a zoonotic disease. He tells us the world did very little to safeguard against a disease they knew about some years back - and he shares his views on the Covid-19 app. - Jackie Cameron

In episode 80 of Inside Covid-19, Alec Hogg talks to musician Danny K about the way he is leveraging celebrity status to play a positive role in fighting the pandemic; and we take a close look at how the world is changing tertiary education, perhaps for good, with massive changes on university campuses – in South Africa and abroad. - Alec Hogg