Main content

A new phase in the Covid pandemic

The WHO says the pandemic is “nowhere near over”, so what does the new normal look like?

After two-and-a-half years of Covid rampaging across the planet, causing millions of deaths and transforming billions of lives, everyone is keen to move on. But this week the head of the World Health Organization warned the public that the pandemic is “nowhere near over” and that with cases rising 30% over the past fortnight we must collectively “push back”. This assessment comes after many governments have pulled back on testing and removed restrictions such as the requirement to wear masks in certain public spaces. England’s former Deputy Chief Medical Officer says the lethality of Covid-19 is now getting closer to that of the seasonal flu, so how should we adapt to the next phase of the pandemic? Vaccines have prevented many people from getting seriously ill and dying, but only in countries with ready access to jabs and high vaccination rates. The UN estimates roughly 72% of people in high income countries have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, but the figure for low-incomes nations is roughly 18%. How much progress has been made in the fight against Covid-19 and what will the next phase of the pandemic look like?

Paul Henley is joined by a panel of expert guests.
Producers: Ellen Otzen and Paul Schuster.

Available now

49 minutes

Last on

Sat 16 Jul 2022 14:06GMT

Contributors

Professor Devi Sridhar - Chair of Global Health at the University of Edinburgh and author of the book: Preventable: How a Pandemic Changed the World & How to Stop the Next One

Dr Ayoade Alakija - Chair of the Africa Union's Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance and WHO Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator)

Abdullah Shihipar - A writer and public health researcher at Brown University in the United States

Also featuring ...

Dr Tom Frieden - Former chair of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), now President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives

Image

A sign outside a building in New York City recommending masks be worn, July 09, 2022 - Credit: John Smith / VIEWpress

Broadcasts

  • Fri 15 Jul 2022 09:06GMT
  • Fri 15 Jul 2022 23:06GMT
  • Sat 16 Jul 2022 03:06GMT
  • Sat 16 Jul 2022 14:06GMT

The Real Story Podcast

Subscribe via your favourite podcast app...

Podcast