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Covid -19 science versus politics

Are the politicians finally coming round to the scientist鈥檚 views on the way forward?

With the announcement in the UK of investment in rapid testing for people who may not have Covid -19 we ask why is this only happening now? For months on this programme we鈥檝e featured scientific research suggesting such a strategy would be the quickest way to end the pandemic.

We speak with Connie Cepko and Brian Rabe who have developed a rapid test and Manu Prakash who is currently rolling it out to countries in the global south.

Could a huge motorcycle rally really have been the source of over a quarter of a million Covid -19 infections? That鈥檚 the finding of a study by economist Andrew Friedson he tells us how mobile phone data helped to determine that figure.

And the politics of vaccines, Many health officials in the US have spoken out against president Trumps claim that a vaccine may be ready before the November presidential election. Helen Branswell from Stat news tells us why there is so much concern over political attempts to manipulate science.

(Image:Getty Images)

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Julian Siddle

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38 minutes

Last on

Fri 11 Sep 2020 12:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 10 Sep 2020 19:32GMT
  • Fri 11 Sep 2020 03:32GMT
  • Fri 11 Sep 2020 08:32GMT
  • Fri 11 Sep 2020 12:32GMT

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