Escalating Covid-19 infections across Brazil

Available for over a year

Health Check has the latest on the management of coronavirus in Brazil, now the epicentre of the pandemic in the Americas, where cases of Covid-19 have been rising rapidly and the mayor of São Paulo has warned that the city’s health system could collapse. BBC correspondent Katy Watson explains how people are responding to some of the mixed messages they’re getting. Also in the programme, the hopes for convalescent plasma therapy: Jeff Henderson, co-leader of the world largest convalescent plasma therapy trial, discusses how blood plasma from people who have recovered from Covid-19 could help those currently fighting the infection. And in all the talk about Covid-19 you may have heard the phrase cytokine storm. Not a weather event, but a hyperactive immune reaction. We hear what causes it and how it might be treated. General medical practitioner Ann Robinson is on hand to discuss antibody tests, the dangers of comparing Covid-19 statistics with those of seasonal influenza, and a new non-invasive way of diagnosing prostate cancer. Presenter Claudia Hammond Producer Adrian Washbourne (Picture: Public transport passengers in São Paulo, Brazil during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo credit: Fabio Vieira/FotoRua/NurPhoto/ Getty Images.)