But podcasts about them do. We're sad to report this is the final episode of PODCAST-19! It's been so rewarding making a show for you over the past year. In this episode, we discuss why we're closing up shop and why pandemics are so hard to bea

How The CDC's Blindspots Complicated The Fight Against COVID-19

Jun 30th, 2021 12m 34s

The CDC wants to be certain, so it typically waits for a critical mass of scientific evidence before making declarative statements. That takes time. Yet the communication to the public in this pandemic seemed to be worse than normal, and result

The Lab Leak Commotion

Jun 2nd, 2021 14m 16s

We have no hard evidence to support the idea that the novel coronavirus was leaked from a lab, let alone a smoking gun to validate that hypothesis. But despite pushback on this story from many scientists and the media early on, it’s back in the

Who Should Decide Who Gets To Make COVID-19 Vaccines?

1 May 22nd, 2021 17m 41s

There's a worldwide shortage of vaccines but plenty of factories standing by to make them. Why is there such a gap between what we need and what we can make? On this week's episode, we explore the surprisingly wild world of pharmaceutical paten

How To Make Sure Your Kid Isn't A Superspreader

1 May 7th, 2021 7m 37s

Kids can't get a COVID-19 vaccination yet, but they're unlikely to develop serious complications from the disease. But they can still be vectors to spread COVID-19 to others who are likely to get very sick. On this week's episode, we look into

You Might Have Given The Coronavirus To Your Cat

Apr 28th, 2021 12m 4s

We've learned time and again that animals can give diseases to humans. We've seen this happen with coronaviruses, the flu, Ebola -- basically most major disease outbreaks in recent memory. But, of course, the reverse is true too: Humans can giv

What A Donated Vaccine Can Do

Apr 22nd, 2021 16m 11s

The United States has a surplus of COVID-19 vaccines — more than enough to vaccinate every adult. Poor countries, however, are still struggling to secure doses. Should those vaccines be sent to countries in need? If not, who will do the sending

The Johnson & Johnson Pause Shows The System Is Working

Apr 13th, 2021 14m 18s

Federal health agencies asked states to pause in their use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while U.S. officials investigate reports of an extremely rare blood-clotting syndrome that has developed in six people who have received the vaccine. Gi

What The Heck Is Going On With AstraZeneca's Vaccine?

Mar 26th, 2021 15m 28s

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been hailed as the world’s vaccine -- it’s inexpensive to produce and doesn’t need super-cold storage like the mRNA vaccines do. But its rollout has been messy. Will its missteps erode the public's (or the F

How To Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy

Mar 22nd, 2021 27m 29s

At some point, the U.S. is going to run out of people eager to get the vaccine, and we’ll need to work hard to convert those who are still hesitant or don’t know how to get it. It won’t be the first time we’ve done so. For months, community lea

The COVID-19 Endemic

Mar 6th, 2021 22m 32s

On this week's show, we discuss what the endgame of the pandemic will be. It likely isn't herd immunity. And if herd immunity isn't the goal, does that change how people should behave once they're vaccinated? We have a science-backed guide for

How Variants Complicate Everything

Feb 19th, 2021 16m 52s

Coronavirus mutations have complicated our path forward. But that doesn’t mean that our current plan out of the pandemic is futile.

The Ethical Dilemmas Prompted By The Vaccine Rollout

Feb 5th, 2021 21m 6s

Should you take a leftover vaccine? Should you pass up a vaccine if you think you don't need it as much as someone else does? We talk to bioethicists to get their answers on these questions and more.

What Happens Once You Get An mRNA Vaccine

Jan 15th, 2021 17m 16s

Anna talks with Dr. Margaret Liu, one of the pioneers of gene-based vaccines, about vaccines that use mRNA to help us build immunity to COVID-19, including the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. How is this method different from vaccines in

Answering All (Or At Least Some) Of Your Vaccine Questions

Jan 7th, 2021 25m 39s

There are so many questions about a COVID-19 vaccine that we didn't know where to begin. So we began with you! We took to the mailbag to find answers on vaccine availability, immunity, and more.

The Dr. Fauci Holiday Special

Dec 22nd, 2020 16m 7s

On the first day of Christmas, PODCAST-19 gave to me ... an interview with Dr. Fauci.Dr. Anthony Fauci stops by the pod to talk about post-vaccine life, the new variant of the virus in the U.K. and which celebrity he'd like to see vaccinated.

Why Emily Oster Made Her Own COVID-19 Database

Dec 11th, 2020 20m 14s

Data has been such a valuable commodity during the pandemic. Unfortunately, at times data has been in short supply, because US government agencies haven’t always undertaken national data collection efforts. So what happens when individuals citi

How To Trust That A COVID-19 Vaccine Is Safe

Nov 21st, 2020 21m 13s

It feels like a cure for this pandemic may be in sight. But for many people, injecting a brand-new scientific discovery into their body won't sit well. So, how are scientists making sure that a COVID-19 vaccine won’t cause more damage than the

There's No Longterm Plan For Long COVID

Nov 13th, 2020 16m 12s

Our producer, Sinduja Srinivasan, reports on long COVID, and how our health care system might cope with so many patients with ongoing symptoms.

What To Make Of Pfizer's Big Vaccine Announcement

Nov 10th, 2020 13m 42s

This week, Pfizer announced that its coronavirus vaccine may be more than 90 percent effective. Anna and FiveThirtyEight's senior science writer, Maggie Koerth, discuss what we know (and don't know) about about the vaccine.

How To Vote Safely In A Pandemic

Oct 29th, 2020 21m 20s

We talk with FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich and Maggie Koerth about how states are trying to make it safe to vote in person this Election Day, and what you should keep in mind as you go to the polls.

Would Biden’s COVID-19 Plan Be Able To Control The Pandemic?

Oct 16th, 2020 17m 54s

Joe Biden says he can fight the pandemic better than President Trump. But is his plan really that different? And does it address what experts say needs to be improved upon?

The President Took A Rare Combo Of COVID-19 Drugs. Will It Help?

Oct 7th, 2020 19m 10s

After testing positive for COVID-19 last week, President Trump was given the three experimental drugs: an antiviral, monoclonal antibodies, and a steroid. On this week’s episode of PODCAST-19, we discuss what happens when all three drugs are co

The Significance Of Trump Testing Positive For COVID-19

Oct 2nd, 2020 23m 16s

Today we learned that President Trump tested positive for COVID-19. In this special crossover episode, the crew from the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast sat down with senior science writer and Podcast-19 contributor Maggie Koerth to talk about

The New College Experience

Sep 26th, 2020 18m 20s

As schools of all levels struggle to find a new way to educate students, universities, in particular, have had a difficult time navigating classes and campus life. On this week's show, we talk to a student navigating quarantined dorm life at th