episode-header-image

Aug 2021

18m 34s

Coronapod: COVID boosters amidst global ...

SPRINGER NATURE LIMITED

About this episode

Several wealthy nations have announced plans to give third vaccine doses in a bid to help increase the protection of their most vulnerable citizens - but the science is not clear on whether this strategy will be effective or indeed necessary. Meanwhile with limited vaccine supplies - billions around the world still have no access to vaccines at all. In this episode of Coronapod we discuss the science of boosters, the stark reality of vaccine disparity and what this means for the future of the pandemic.

News: COVID boosters for wealthy nations spark outrage

News feature: COVID vaccine boosters: the most important questions

Coronapod: the inequality at the heart of the pandemic

Coronapod: the biomarker that could change COVID vaccines

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.

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

Up next

Briefing Chat: The Bunsen burner myth that turns out to be just hot air

Nature staff discuss an AI tool that can assess the impact of nine billion mutations — plus, how the Bunsen burner’s reputation for sterilization may be based on tradition alone.00:21 Deepmind’s new tool helps scientists find the impact of mutationsNature: DeepMind’s new genome ‘ ... Show More

Phone tutoring boosts math scores when schools are forced to close

In this episode:00:46 How telephone teaching could boost education during school shutdownsNature: Pick up the phone! Phone calls with tutors keep kids learning when schools shut down11:42 Research HighlightsNature: Super-precise optical clocks in four nations tick in harmonyNatur ... Show More

Briefing Chat: How 1,000 pairs of buried underpants helped measure soil health

In this episode:00:21 Our picks of this year’s Ig Nobel prizesNature: Buried underpants and a new definition of kissing win 2026 Ig Nobel prizes07:47 Massive xenon experiment detects tantalizing hint of dark matterNature: Is this the first glimpse of dark matter? Data point excit ... Show More

Recommended Episodes

The Global Vaccine Gap

In a race to catch up with emerging coronavirus variants, wealthy countries are already benefiting from potent vaccines. While the U.S., Britain and European Union have given citizens about 24 million doses so far -- more than half of the shots administered globally -- vast numbe ... Show More

The Evidence: To boost or not to boost?

The divide between the Covid vaccine haves and have-nots has been described as “criminal”, with only 20% of people in low and middle income countries having had one dose, compared with 80% in higher income countries. Countries with high vaccination rates have been called on to gi ... Show More

Agree to Disagree: Booster Shots

The boosters are rolling out. In places likes the U.S., Britain, and Israel, authorities are providing additional Covid-19 vaccines with the goal of bolstering immune systems and shoring up their economies. Though vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have proven highly ef ... Show More

Do We Need a Third Covid Shot?

<p>The rise of the Delta variant has prompted a thorny question: Do we need a booster dose of the vaccine for Covid-19? Vaccine makers think so, but regulators are yet to be convinced.</p><p>Principles are also at stake: Should richer countries be talking about administering extr ... Show More

Do we have a vaccine to end the pandemic?

Test results from coronavirus vaccines are fast emerging, fuelling hopes that the end of the pandemic is in sight. But are countries ready to share the vaccine fairly? Global efforts to coordinate are already gaining ground - but some are concerned the battle for who gets what wi ... Show More

How to Vaccinate the Entire World

As wealthier nations have bought up most of the world’s supply of vaccines, many lower and middle-income countries have been left behind. Today, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks to Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, Director of the Duke University Global Health Inno ... Show More

We Can and Must SHARE Vaccines with the Globe

As the good news about the decline of COVID infections in the US continues to reverberate, the threat of the pandemic still looms globally. “Nobody is safe until everybody is safe.” Sharing life-saving vaccines around the world as quickly as possible defies a simple solution. Thi ... Show More