Pandemic

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin Outbreaks driven by the Delta variant in Israel are being watched closely around the world. How will a population, where almost all adults are vaccinated, defend itself against the latest coronavirus threat? Amos Harel, Defence Analyst with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz looks at the approach to the rise in case rates.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin A seven year conflict, mass malnutrition and a cholera epidemic: How is Yemen coping with the added strain of Covid-19? MSF/Doctors Without Border Head of Mission in Sana'a Ahmed Mahat gives Pandemic an up-close view from Yemen.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin EU leaders meet amid mounting concern over the Delta variant of the virus & the strange and tragic case of Juergen Conings – the trained sniper who caused a nationwide manhunt in Belgium after stealing weapons with the apparent intention of targeting a leading virologist. Europe Editor Tony Connelly has the details.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin After 20 years of war and over half the country living in poverty, Afghanistan has been hit with a third wave - its worst yet - of Govid-19. Pandemic spoke to Rohullah Sorush of the Afghan Analysts' Network in Kabul, author of a recent detailed briefing paper on the impact of the virus.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin Having kept its death rate below 10 until March, Taiwan has seen cases of Covid-19 and deaths soar since May. One year on from our last conversation in better times, Bloomberg's Taipei Bureau Chief Samson Ellis has a detailed look at what has gone wrong.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin Did Sars-CoV-2 leak from a lab? The WHO says it's unlikely, so why is the US President talking about this theory now? To discuss this and more, Pandemic spoke to Shane Harris, who covers intelligence and national security for the The Washington Post (and hosts the Rational Security podcast)

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin If delayed supplies of the Astra Zeneca or Janssen vaccines arrive when younger people still need to be vaccinated, could they sign a waiver to take them for quick access to doses? Medical law expert Simon Mills SC gives his view and looks at some other legal issues that have arisen during the course of a pandemic.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin An expert group - the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response - produced a blunt report on global response to Covid-19 and strong recommendations for dealing with the next pandemic. We have a detailed look at the report with panel member Dr Joanne Liu, a former president of MSF/Doctors Without Borders.

Host: Colm Ó Mongáin India's runaway coronavirus rates have led to scenes the WHO has described as "beyond heartbreaking". Journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick gave Pandemic an overview of how the crisis evolved and ultimately came to her family's door.

Host Colm Ó Mongáin Gaza-based journalist, producer and cameraman Fady Hanona tells Pandemic how Covid-19 and the lockdown have affected an already-impoverished Gaza strip, why vaccines are urgently needed and about the effects on his family.