Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Podcasts about COVID-19

Image by Menage a Moi.
We are still learning about the coronavirus (aka COVID-19 or SARS-COV-2).

I usually read as a way to digest information. 

However, I have been exploring podcasts as a way to learn about the current pandemic. 

By using various search terms on Spotify, I found more than 50 podcasts that include COVID-19 content.

There are many more episodes about the virus / the pandemic within existing podcasts.

To date, I have listened to at least one episode (often more) of 50 podcasts dedicated to SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19.

If you only have 30 minutes a week to listen to a podcast about the pandemic, I HIGHLY recommend listening to Dr. Daniel Griffin, MD / PhD of Columbia University present his clinical report via TWIV (This Week in Virology).  


Scroll until you find the most recent one by Dr. Griffin. 




Here is a list of some of  his publications via Google Scholar 

Here is the team behind Parasites without Borders, including Dr. Griffin. 

I present to you my Top 10 Podcast about SARS CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the disease).

Last Update: 4 August 2021 

I found these podcasts (listed alphabetically) on Spotify, but many are also available in other places. 


Coronavirus (COVID-19) Q&A 
LINK

JAMA. Two or Three Times Weekly a run time around 20 minutes

Conversations with frontline clinicians and experts about the science and medicine for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. 


Infectious Disease Society of America LINK

Twice Daily weekly with a run time around 23 minutes
 
This podcast is older than the pandemic and includes episodes on other diseases (such as EBOLA and measles). However, the bulk of their content is about COVID-19. The content by scientists for scientists and medical professionals, but it's not beyond the lay listeners. 


Harvard Chan: Press Conference (Previously entitled "This Week in Health") 
Link

School of Public Health. Twice a week with a run time of about 1 hour

Twice a week, Michael Mina from the School of Public Health at Harvard does a press conference on a range of topics related to epidemiology and public health. 




Public Health on Call LINK

Johns Hopkins. Daily with a run time around 17 minutes

The Bloomberg School of Public Health does discuss the scientific aspects of C19 in many of its podcasts, but much of its content focuses on social, emotional and cultural dimensions of the pandemic.

Drumroll Please: 
TWIV is my favorite C19 podcast! 


TWIV: This Week in Virology
 LINK

American Society of Microbiology with a run time around 90 minutes 

TWIV started in September of 2008, but with the current pandemic, they have focused on the virus SARS-CoV-2 and its disease COVID-19. Vincent Racanielle and Dick Despommier are two science professors at Columbia University Medical Center.  They also invite Dr. Daniel Griffin PhD / MD to share 30 minutes of clinical information every Friday. 

Yes, TWIV is at times it's too technical for me. However, I prefer podcasts by scientists and healthcare professionals vs armchair epidemiologists. Also, the hosts invited guests who are PhD and/or MDs. Many of their guests conduct research or work to connect research with clinical practice. 

They bring their education and expertise. These hosts and their highly educated, professional guests often share recently published research from evidence-based, academic science journals. The group then discuss in detail--not just the results but also the methods and the implications for further research or clinical application.  

Even though the conversation often focuses on the cellular level, the hosts and their guests connect the fields of research and clinical practice. Racanielle and Despommier themselves divide their time among reading research, conducting research, teaching, and working in a clinical setting. 

Next are two podcast that trend towards opinion rather than straight sharing of research / data--in my opinion. 


Osterholm Update: COVID-19 from CIDRAP LINK

I find that Osterholm tends to horriblize the pandemic. True, he was at CDC, he founded CIDRAP, and he's networked with some key experts in medicine, science, public health, and government. However, he reminds me of a weather forecaster who errs on the side of a forecast for rain, hail, and tornados so that when they do happen, they can say, "See! I told you to be prepared for the worst."  So I filter a lot when I listen to his podcast. 

In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt LINK

Slavitt used to run CMS (Medicare and Medicade). He's very networked. However, he clearly leans left, so he often makes derogatory comments about right leaning policymakers. He is also very emotional and dramatic.  I am an extrovert who can fall into hyperbole (on ANY topic) if I do not self-monitor. For this reason, I often turn off Slavitt's podcasts when he makes too much commentary. That being said, he often brings on guests to his podcast who are experts.  I have to exert judgement here. 

(More) Podcasts. These are good, but I just do not have time to listen regularly to every good podcast about COVID-19. I do sometimes catch an episode here and there from these shows.

Time permitting, these go back into my rotation first: 
  • AMA COVID-19 Update LINK
  • Chasing Life: CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta LINK
  • Healthy You by GWU's School of Public Health LINK 
I just skim episode descriptions for these to see if one piques my interest: 
Check Out My Discard Pile--just in case!

Some of these are creating podcasts less often or shifted their content away from COVID-19. And some have ceased production entirely, but some older content might interest you, especially for those conducting research on pandemic phenomena in 2020. 

In alphabetical order
  • America Dissected: Coronavirus 
  • The Antigen by Pfizer (a short 12 podcast series that has concluded)
  • BBC Inside Science
  • The Comeback: COVID-19 and the return of sports
  • Coronavirus 411 by Sound That Brands via William Corbin
  • Coronavirus Chronicle by the Houston Chronicle
  • Coronavirus, Briefly by WBUR of the Boston Metro Area
  • Coronavirus: Fact or Fiction 
  • Coronavirus Update by James Watkins 
  • COVID-19: Commonsense Conversations by Ars Longa Media
  • COVID-19 Daily (then Weekly) by RadioMD 
  • COVID-19 LST Report: Literature Surveillance Team host Jasmine Rah
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Race by Contagion Connect
  • COVID-19: What's Next by the University of Toronto
  • Doctor Vaughan's COVID-19 Updates
  • The Dose by CBC (Canadian) Podcasts
  • Emerging Infectious Diseases by CDC
  • Epidemic with Dr. Celine Gounder
  • Epidemiology Counts by Sue Bevan of SER
  • Fighting Coronavirus by American Innovations.
  • Newswatch: COVID-19 Updates from the Associated Press
  • NoiseFilter: Doctors Explain Everything You Need to Know about Health
  • NPR: Consider This. They did rename this to be a daily C19 update for a time.
  • Pandemic: Coronavirus Edition
  • The Pie (was Pandemic Economics) by University of Chicago
  • Podcast 19 by Five Thirty Eight
  • Prognosis Daily: COVID-19, Life During a Global Pandemic
  • Vaccine 411 by Sounds That Brand
  • Viral: COVID-19 host Ian Doyle


2 comments:

  1. You have some interesting podcasts listed here. I have never listened to a podcast but a couple of these I may tune in to. I am retired and the pandemic situation changes moment by moment.

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    1. You don't have to use an App such as Spotify for most of these because they host them on webpages. I'm new to podcasts as well, but I have quite enjoyed listening to hosts interview experts. I feel as though I got invited to a dinner party attended by a group of warm elites. I hope you find at least one favorite to help you negotiate through this pandemic.

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