Making the Call

The Covid 19 pandemic has forced Americans to confront death on a scale that few of us have seen in our lifetimes. As the coronavirus continues to spread, Americans have started to ask themselves questions that are usually reserved for old age. Questions like: How do I want to die? In this episode: Physician Assisted Death - Is it ethical?

In the United States, more than a third of reported deaths from Covid-19 have occurred in nursing homes, and it’s not hard to guess why. You’ve got old and sick people with multiple chronic conditions living close together in an enclosed space -- ideal for the spread of a deadly virus.

In this episode: How should we care for older people? And what can we learn about elder care and end-of-life care from the Covid-19 pandemic?

Guest Dr. Joanne Lynn

When you think about the conditions that have been most conducive to the spread of Covid-19 -- prolonged contact with lots of people in enclosed spaces -- colleges and universities have them all. 

Students, faculty, and staff had their spring semesters interrupted by the first wave of the pandemic. With fall fast approaching, it’s tempting to go back to business as usual. But the virus may not cooperate. In this episode, we’re taking on higher education. When and how will it really be safe to go back to school?

Experts agree that once we have a vaccine for Covid-19, we will need the vast majority of the population to take it - enough so we get to herd immunity. But the rise of the anti-vaccine movement has already led to outbreaks of diseases we thought were long gone. And now, in the midst of a global pandemic, the risk of further outbreaks is heightened because parents of young kids are afraid to go to the doctor’s office to get their shots.

Once we finally have a vaccine that’s safe, effective, and available, how do we make sure people actually take it?

Guests: Dr. Linda Goldstein, Rabbi Avi Schnall, Paul Offit

Part two in our 3-part series on vaccines: Manufacturing.

Last month, President Trump announced the beginning of “Operation Warp Speed,” an initiative to develop and produce a vaccine for Covid-19 in record time. But creating a vaccine that’s safe and effective is just the first step in a long and complicated process. Even when we have a vaccine, it’s almost certain that there won’t be enough for everyone. Millions of Americans and billions of people all over the world are going to want this vaccine. Who’s going to get it first?

Guests: Bruce Gellin and Paul Offit

Part one of our 3-part series on vaccines:  Human Experiments.

Experts say the development of a safe and effective vaccine will take at least a year, maybe a lot longer. What are we willing to risk to speed that up? Thousands of healthy people have already volunteered to be deliberately infected with the Coronavirus in order to test potential vaccines. Is that ethical?

There are more than two million people locked up across the United States. Whatever they may have done to get there, they haven't been sentenced to death by virus. In this episode: How do we stop Covid-19 from spreading in prisons and jails?

Have comments or questions for Zeke and Jonathan? Contact us here

To stop Covid-19 from overwhelming our healthcare system, many states have ordered that any “non-essential” procedures be cancelled or postponed. But some states are using these orders to shut down services that many people feel are medically necessary -- including abortion. In this episode: what exactly counts as “essential” healthcare? And who gets to decide?

The virus may not discriminate, but people - and institutions - do. Discrimination in medicine, housing, and food have disproportionately affected the health of African-Americans for generations. In many ways, Covid-19 is just exacerbating these age-old problems.

In this episode: Can we solve the racial disparity in deaths from Covid-19? What can we do to address hundreds of years of inequity in the way we respond to this pandemic?

Everywhere you look, front line medical providers are being praised as “heroes.” Some people are leaning out their windows every night to bang on pots and pans and cheer for them. But is that enough?

In this episode… Who cares for the caregivers? What do we owe as a society to the people putting their lives on the line in the fight against Covid-19?