Episode details

World Service,02 Feb 2021,26 mins
SeriesThe Coronavirus Front Line
Coronavirus Front Line: The search for a vaccine - part one
The DocumentaryAvailable for over a year
Over the last few months the race has been on to create and test a vaccine for Covid -19. Over 200 are in development and some are now licensed and given to protect some of the most vulnerable in society and those caring for them. Winifred Robinson has been alongside medical teams at a UK hospital recording as events unfold. She tracks vaccine development through the trial stages and examines what happens when it comes to eventual distribution. As priority lists are drawn up, there is mounting excitement amongst those waiting for the first deliveries – but not everyone is happy. Social media is awash with vaccine conspiracy theories and some of these are clearly taking hold. She gains access to the heart of the medical teams, with recordings carried out by Dr John Wright, an expert on infectious diseases and how they spread. He has worked in Africa in epidemics of Ebola and HIV. Now he works at Bradford Royal Infirmary in the North of England. He has been co-ordinating the response to Covid and is helping to lead the vaccine trials and delivery there. (Photo: Coronavirus vials. Credit: Getty Images)
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