Pandemic Planet

Latest Episodes:

Peter Piot: “It’s Not Over Until it’s Over Everywhere” Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Peter Piot, medical doctor, virologist, and Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine reflects on a year of surprises with Covid-19. Why did Europe and the Americas experience so many cases early on, and why are cases accelerating in Africa only now? What role has leadership played in controlling the pandemic and encouraging a stronger commitment to multilateralism and global equity in vaccine distribution? How will the new, more transmissible variants affect the spread of the pandemic? And how are new forms of information-sharing and collaboration shaping how research may be conducted in the future?

Dr. Peter Piot, who co-discovered the Ebola virus in Zaire in 1976, is Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He was the founding Executive Director of UNAIDS and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Prioritizing Primary Care in a Global Pandemic Jan 27, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Pandemic Planet we speak with Asaf Bitton, Executive Director at Ariadne Labs and a member of the CSIS Commission Strengthening America’s Health Security. Asaf Bitton is a practicing primary care physician, a researcher and professor, and a leader in health system innovation. We discuss the vital role of primary health care in creating a healthier, more equitable, and safer world. Why do strong health systems remain an elusive goal despite decades of international commitment? How has the global pandemic impacted routine health services worldwide and what will be the long-term cost? How can accessible primary care services help identify and respond to emerging threats to global health security?

If you’d like to find out your place in the Covid-19 vaccine line (ranked out of 100), you can find the vaccine tool that Ariadne Labs co-created here.

Seth Berkley: Planning for the Largest Vaccine Rollout in History Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

For our first episode of Pandemic Planet, we are joined by Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. For the past two decades, Gavi has mobilized its network of government, private sector, and civil society partners to make vaccines affordable and available to millions of children in the world’s lowest-income countries. Nearly a year into the pandemic, how has Gavi pivoted to respond to the challenge of the novel coronavirus? How has it worked with new partners to stand up global mechanisms like COVAX? And as we prepare for the largest rollout of vaccines in history, what lessons can Gavi offer the world on the importance of equitable immunization to global security and recovery?

Hosted by Katherine E. Bliss. Produced by Julia Kim.