Inside Covid-19

Inside Covid-19: More bad news for AstraZeneca; vaccine for dogs; #Covid in your eyes, ears; SA vaccine roll-out latest

In this episode of the BizNews podcast dedicated to uncovering all the important news and views on the biggest public health crisis in living memory, we hear from Dr Simone Donati, who is among a team of scientists in Italy, about what medical experts have discovered on how the coronavirus…

1 Apr 2021 7AM 43 min

Inside Covid-19: Deep insights on how people have battled Covid-19 demons; Ivermectin SA legal battle

When the Covid-19 pandemic first swept across the globe and governments instituted lockdowns, many people thought the crisis would be over in a few months. But a year later, many countries are still under lockdown rules, even as vaccinations are rolled out. In a powerful, in-depth report from Bloomberg, we…

19 Mar 2021 8AM 38 min

Inside Covid-19: Insurance extras to help restaurant owners survive tough times; what the world can learn from Israel

A year ago, the coronavirus pandemic struck, turning people's lives upside down and transforming the way we work and do business. In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we hear from Discovery Insurance Chief Operating Officer Lana Ross about innovations in cover for restaurants - which have been hit particularly hard…

14 Mar 2021 1PM 32 min

Inside Covid-19: Deep insights on pandemic, with Discovery Life CEO Riaan van Reenen, J&J CEO Alex Gorsky

South Africa was the first country to roll out the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Earlier this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said 80,000 J&J vaccines have arrived as the mass vaccination programme gets underway. The single-dose vaccine has shown to be effective in preventing moderate and severe disease from South Africa's dominant coronavirus variant with…

5 Mar 2021 7AM 41 min

Inside Covid-19: Ivermectin may reduce infection time, Covid spread slows as vaccines take off

In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we hear from Professor Eli Schwarz. Professor Schwarz is an Israeli tropical disease expert, who says he has new proof that a drug used to fight parasites in third world countries, could help reduce the length of infection for people who contract the coronavirus…

26 Feb 2021 11AM 35 min

Inside Covid-19: Meet the 32-year-old SA lab assistant at global forefront of fight against virus

In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we speak to Sandile Cele, a 32-year-old researcher at the Durban-based African Health Research Institute who has made global headlines for an important breakthrough in the fight against Covid-19. Cele found a new way to grow the 501.V2 variant and in so doing, reports…

18 Feb 2021 4AM 26 min

Inside Covid-19: Medical breakthroughs - common asthma drug Budesonide, Ivermectin in treating coronavirus

In an important scientific breakthrough in the early treatment of Covid-19, medical experts have discovered that an inhaled corticosteroid is effective. Hear from Professor Mona Bafadhel of the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine about how this medication commonly used to treat asthma appears to significantly reduce the need…

11 Feb 2021 11AM 31 min

Inside Covid-19: Life may only return to normal in 7 years; long Covid and your sense of smell; travel outlook

Around 65% of people with coronavirus lose their sense of smell and taste and it's estimated that about 10% of those go on to develop rare conditions that create havoc. Parosmia means you can find human waste smells like food and vice versa, the smell of water can make you…

5 Feb 2021 9AM 37 min

Inside Covid-19: Former Sunday Times editor Brian Pottinger lifts lid on why the world panicked about coronavirus

Have governments gone too far in imposing lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19? Why did governments use this strategy? Is the original Covid-19 still circulating - or did it die out in June? We speak to Brian Pottinger, South African author and former Sunday Times journalist who has undertaken…

31 Jan 2021 12PM 45 min

Inside Covid-19: Johann Rupert denies jumping queue; what vaccine 'apartheid' means for SA, the world

As South African billionaire Johann Rupert makes world headlines for getting a vaccine shot in December in Switzerland, we explore how global collaboration to mass vaccinate the world is being jeopardised - at the expense of the developing world. We speak to Theo Murphy, European Council on Foreign Relations, for…

22 Jan 2021 12PM 29 min

Inside Covid-19: Vaccines - can your employer force you to get one? Legal insights

Can South African employers impose mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies as a pre-requisite to return to work or as a precondition for employment? What happens if an employee refuses to wear a mask. We’ve got the answers to these questions and more on how Covid-19 has changed employment law in South…

15 Jan 2021 12PM 33 min

Inside Covid-19: SA variant - what it means for vaccine development, ending pandemic - Prof Madhi

The South African variant of Covid-19 has changed the outlook for the way the coronavirus pandemic is likely to unfold - in South Africa as well as elsewhere. Scientists in South Africa say there is a "reasonable concern" that the new variant of Covid-19 sweeping across the country might prove…

7 Jan 2021 10AM 36 min

Inside Covid-19: SA is 'not in control' of virus, is at early stage of pandemic, warns expert

In this episode, we examine changes to the Covid-19 virus that has altered the world over the past year. Dr Richard Lessells, infectious diseases specialist at Krisp, the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform, part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, helps us make sense of the latest developments in the…

23 Dec 2020 10AM 37 min

Inside Covid-19: What SA will look like in 2021; Govt vaccine plan latest; masks - why they work

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced tighter restrictions aimed at halting the rising rate of Covid-19 cases in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. This includes the possibility of stiff fines and even time in jail for employers who do not insist that employees wear masks at all times. In…

18 Dec 2020 6AM 43 min

Inside Covid-19: Pay-as-you go private medical care; Why SA is at back of Covid-19 vaccine queue - and what's next

A week ago, Bloomberg reported that SA was only likely to get Covid-19 vaccines rolled out in earnest by mid-2021 and even then only for a select few. That created an outcry from the medical fraternity. In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we speak to Professor Francois Venter, a professor…

11 Dec 2020 2AM 38 min

Inside Covid-19: Meet two remarkable women in the spotlight for putting people first

In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we look at two SA success stories as the world fights the biggest global health crisis in living memory. BizNews journalist Linda van Tilburg looks at an entrepreneurial Cape company that has developed a rapid Covid-19 test from a cousin of the tobacco plant…

3 Dec 2020 7AM 59 min

Making SA proud: Discovery's Ruth Lewin heads up global organisation IAVE

Born into a philanthropic family, Ruth Lewin fondly remembers collecting money for the blind - one of her parents many charitable endeavours. It would come as no surprise that Discovery's Head of Corporate Sustainability was recently appointed to the respected position of world president of the global volunteerism body, at…

1 Dec 2020 9AM 20 min

Inside Covid-19: vaccine roll-out in SA, beyond - experts, pharmacy bosses

With billions of dollars a day disappearing as much of the northern hemisphere is shutdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, it is critical for vaccines to be rolled out as soon as possible. In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we focus on vaccine roll out in Africa and elsewhere…

30 Nov 2020 3AM 29 min

Inside Covid-19: Vaccine race; SA’s PANDA goes global; pandemic damages, scars minds

In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we look at whether pharmaceutical companies can make enough Covid vaccines. We also pick up with actuary Nick Hudson, who shares how SA-grown Panda has transformed into a global organisation, with the experts behind the Great Barrington Declaration on their advisory board. Panda is…

20 Nov 2020 2AM 35 min

How Discovery is helping members prepare for the Covid-19 vaccine - Dr Noluthando Nematswerani

Discovery Health's head of Clinical Policy, Dr Noluthando Nematswerani tells BizNews how Discovery is helping it's members prepare for the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccine in South Africa. Nematswerani says experts expect the vaccine to arrive by at least mid 2021.

13 Nov 2020 10AM 6 min