Coronapod: An untapped resource

Benjamin Thompson, Noah Baker, and Amy Maxmen discuss the labs struggling to get involved in diagnostic testing, and should you be wearing a mask?

In this episode:

02:07 A drive to diagnose

Many research labs are pivoting from their normal work to offer diagnostic testing for COVID-19. We discuss how to go about retooling a lab, the hurdles researchers are facing and why, in some cases, tests are not being taken up.

News: Thousands of coronavirus tests are going unused in US labs

14:18 Masking the issue?

There has been conflicting advice on whether people should wear masks to protect themselves during the pandemic. We look at some of the take home messages from the debate.

Research article: Leung et al.

News: Is the coronavirus airborne? Experts can’t agree

18:36 One good thing this week

Our hosts pick out things they’ve seen that have made them smile in the last 7 days, including a local superhero, and a caring choir who have release their first song.

Reuters: Spider-Man to the rescue! Superhero jogger cheers kids in England

Video: The Isolation Choir sing Wild Mountain Thyme

22:08 Accelerating vaccine development

Around the world, research groups are rushing to create a vaccine against the coronavirus. We hear about one group’s effort, and how vaccine development is being sped up, without sacrificing safety steps.

News: If a coronavirus vaccine arrives, can the world make enough?

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