How Covid changed science, part 2

Discovery

BBC

Science

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2022

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the second of our series How Covid Changed Science, Devi Sridhar, Professor of Global Health at Edinburgh University looks at the scientific messaging. Just how do you explain to both politicians and the public that a growing global pandemic is likely to kill many people, and unprecedented measures such as a nationwide lockdown are needed to prevent even more deaths. What information should be imparted and how?

Similarly how to address the clamour for information on the development of vaccines and other potential treatments when there often wasn’t clarity? And with the rise of misinformation how did individual scientists who became the subject of conspiracy theories cope with being targeted?

In this programme we hear from scientists and politicians directly involved with the pandemic response. For some the experience of explaining their often highly technical research to the general public was a daunting experience. For others it became a mission to answer the publics concerns and fears.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ever wondered what the world's wealthiest people did to get so ridiculously rich?
0:05.4	Our podcast Good Bad Billionaire takes one billionaire at a time and explains exactly how they made their money.
0:11.9	And then we decide if they are actually good, bad or just plain wealthy.
0:15.5	So if you want to know if Rihanna is as much of a bad guy as she claims,
0:19.2	or what Jeff Bezos really did to become the first person in history to pocket a hundred billion dollars,
0:24.6	listen to Good Bad Billionaire with me, Simon Jack, and me, Zingsing.
0:28.5	Listen, own BBC sounds.
0:31.2	What's up y'all, I'm Renee Montgomery and my podcast Untold Legends Aura is available now.
0:37.4	I'm looking back on the life of one of the most extraordinary black female sports stars
0:42.6	of the 20th century, whose name has been all but forgotten.
0:47.0	Aura Washington.
0:48.9	Stay listening at the end of this podcast to find out more.
0:59.4	Cases of coronavirus infections in China, triple.
1:03.0	As doctors confirm, it can be passed from human to human.
1:06.8	Once more, we must all stay home.
1:09.7	If it is essential to go out, remember, wash your hands,
1:13.0	cover your face indoors, and keep your distance from others.
1:16.8	The COVID-19 global pandemic,
1:19.1	place science and scientists in a new public and visible position.
1:24.2	I think the point where I realised that things were really serious was a private session.
1:29.2	It was a private meeting of the Science and Technology Committee,
1:33.0	where we were hearing directly from medics in Italy and what was happening there,
	...

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