logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
40m 14s

The Jab: How well will vaccines work?

The Economist
About this episode

The race between infections and injections is in its most crucial phase. What life is like on the other side of the pandemic depends on three things: how well vaccines work, whether there are enough and how many people take them.


Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist who has advised President Biden, tells us the world stands at an inflection point. After getting his jab in Jerusalem, our correspondent there says the vision of the future Israel offers other countries is not as rosy as it first seemed. James Fransham from The Economist data team unpicks the vaccination numbers so far. 


Alok Jha, The Economist's science correspondent, hosts with our health policy editor, Natasha Loder. Edward Carr, The Economist's deputy editor, joins them.


For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe here: economist.com/thejabpod


Subscribe to our new weekly science newsletter at economist.com/simplyscience and data newsletter at www.economist.com/offthecharts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Sprawl of duty: Trump’s tariff drama
Once again President Donald Trump extended the deadline for spine-stiffening tariffs to go into effect on trading partners. We look at the effects of all the uncertainty. Brazil once dominated the world of football; we ask where it went wrong and assess the route to a comeback. A ... Show More
21m 53s
Yesterday
The French reconnection: Macron in Britain
Anglo-French relations have not been so good since before the Brexit vote. Beneath the state-visit pageantry, though, there is much co-operation for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss. Gangs have infiltrated many of Latin America’s mining operati ... Show More
21m 10s
Jul 7
Trump card: can he broker a Gaza deal?
While Israel and Hamas officials discuss a ceasefire via mediators in Qatar, a key meeting will take place at the White House today, when Israel’s prime minister talks to the US president. Why the Chinese Communist Party is removing alcohol from official events. And remembering J ... Show More
21m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
How Close Is the Pandemic’s End?
It’s been almost a year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.And the virus is persisting: A downward trend in the U.S. caseload has stalled, and concern about the impact of variants is growing. Yet inoculations are on the rise, and the ... Show More
30m 39s
Mar 2021
The State of Vaccinations
The United States has never undertaken a vaccination campaign of the scale and speed of the Covid-19 program. Despite a few glitches, the country appears to be on track to offer shots to all adults who want one by May 1.We look at the ups and downs in the American vaccination cam ... Show More
26m 42s
Sep 2021
Biden’s Bet on Vaccine Mandates
As recently as a month ago, President Biden appeared to be skeptical about imposing coronavirus vaccine mandates. Now that skepticism has given way to a suite of policies that aim to force the hands of the unvaccinated.What has changed?Guest: Jim Tankersley, a White House corresp ... Show More
21m 3s
Oct 2021
The State of the Pandemic
The coronavirus seems to be in retreat in the United States, with the number of cases across the country down about 25 percent compared with a couple of weeks ago. Hospitalizations and deaths are also falling.So, what stage are we in with the pandemic? And how will developments s ... Show More
19m 20s
Mar 2021
Europe’s vaccine disaster
Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the raft of problems stymying Europe’s vaccine rollout, which has been slower and messier than expected, given some of the earlier successes the continent had controlling infection rates. They talk about why some countries decided to pause administeri ... Show More
55m 59s
Jul 2021
The Vaccine Mandate Conundrum
In the effort to raise America’s vaccination rate, some agencies and private organizations have turned to the last, and most controversial, weapon in the public health arsenal: vaccine mandates.How have the federal government and the White House approached the issue?Guest: Jennif ... Show More
22m 14s
Nov 2021
An Interview With Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, described the current status of the pandemic in the United States as a “mixed bag” that is leaning more toward the positive than the negative.But, he said, there is still more work to do.In our conversation, he wei ... Show More
33m 49s
Dec 2020
The Beginning of the End of the Pandemic
In Britain, news that the country had become the first to start administering a fully tested coronavirus vaccine was met with hope, excitement — and some trepidation.Amid the optimism that normal life might soon resume, there is also concern. Has the vaccine been developed too fa ... Show More
22m 18s
Apr 2020
The Race for a Vaccine
Scientists are racing to make a vaccine for the coronavirus, collaborating across borders in what is usually a secretive and competitive field. But their cooperation has been complicated by national leaders trying to buy first claim on any breakthrough. Today, we explore how the ... Show More
24m 32s