The global economy could lose up to $22 trillion in 2020 alone due to Covid-19, according to Australian economist Warwick McKibbin. He predicts that successive waves of coronavirus infections will mean the world will continue to count the cost of the pandemic for years. McKibbin explains to Jason Gale that the pandemic will result in lasting changes to the way we work, live and interact. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 04, 2020•12 min•Season 5Ep. 96
The future of the commercial real estate market has been under serious question. That’s thanks to the virus itself, a potential mass migration out of cities, and the new realities of working from home. For Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast, hosts Tracy Alloway and Joe Weisenthal spoke with Mosaic Real Estate Partners Managing Partner Ethan Penner, who has been described as the father of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 02, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 95
Recently, Sweden won praise from the World Health Organization for its unusual approach to battling Coronavirus. The Nordic nation imposed far fewer restrictions on movement than other countries, and instead relied on Swedes to act responsibly and embrace the guidelines laid out by the country’s health authorities. The strategy has been controversial. Sweden’s Covid-19 death rate is considerably higher than in many other countries, at 57 per 100,000. But the pace of new infections and deaths has...
Aug 31, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 94
The coronavirus has swept through South Africa. But the country was already carrying a heavy burden of chronic and infectious diseases. Its healthcare system is fragile. Johannesburg-based reporter Janice Kew explains what happened when the country went into a strict lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from overwhelming its medical facilities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 28, 2020•11 min•Season 5Ep. 93
This weekend, Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, attracted criticism when he substantially overstated the benefits of an experimental Covid-19 therapy. At a press conference with Trump, Hahn said that a treatment using blood plasma from recovered patients could save 35 of every 100 people who would have died. Those high-profile remarks were incorrect, and they were repeated by others in the Trump administration. Hahn late Monday clarified some of what the da...
Aug 26, 2020•16 min•Season 5Ep. 92
President Donald Trump expanded access to a coronavirus treatment that involves blood plasma donated by people who’ve recovered from Covid-19. But while convalescent plasma, as it’s known, is a promising therapy, researchers don’t yet fully understand how well it works. Michelle Fay Cortez explains what the announcement means, and the concerns that agencies like the FDA are letting pressure from the White House, rather than science, guide their decisions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Aug 24, 2020•15 min•Season 5Ep. 91
One thing the pandemic seems to have rendered obsolete, at least for now, is mass tourism. Beach towns lined with hotels that boast hundreds of rooms are struggling in a socially distanced age. Jeannette Neumann reports one tourist hotspot in Spain that once drew throngs of young people is trying to reinvent itself for a future of tightly controlled and intimate trips. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 21, 2020•13 min•Season 5Ep. 90
Before the novel coronavirus, the world was focused on another killer respiratory virus: influenza.The flu kills hundreds of thousands of people globally each year. The Covid-19 pandemic hit the U.S. after flu cases had peaked. But with the next flu season only a couple of months away, doctors are worried that a flu epidemic on top of a Covid pandemic could stretch medical resources to the breaking point. Jason Gale reports that countries like Australia and New Zealand can be a model for dealing...
Aug 19, 2020•13 min•Season 5Ep. 89
About a dozen student athletes have experienced heart inflammation after being diagnosed with the disease. The NCAA’s chief medical officer discussed the cases of myocarditis, a heart condition that can cause sudden death in young athletes, at a briefing last week. His remarks came two days after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would postpone fall sports. Angelica LaVito reports that the new complication is casting a shadow over college athletics, and creating questions about what the dise...
Aug 17, 2020•11 min•Season 5Ep. 88
In the fight against COVID-19, so many are pinning their hopes on a vaccine. But how long will it take? Russia’s super-fast-tracked COVID-19 one is technically the first in the world. But the first vaccine may not be the best one. And even with other vaccine trials underway around the globe, it would be wrong to think we can resume normal life as soon as we have one. Bloomberg healthcare reporter Michelle Fay Cortez explains why Russia’s approach to vaccine development is so different, and why t...
Aug 14, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 87
In the rush to develop a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19, drug companies are fast-tracking clinical trials. But those trials have a major diversity problem. Participants in major drug trials range from 70 percent to 89 percent white. This is a big problem, considering it’s a disease that disproportionately affects people of color. Kristen V. Brown reports that failing to account for minority groups could potentially impact how well a drug eventually works for those that the virus has harmed th...
Aug 12, 2020•16 min•Season 5Ep. 86
Arne Duncan, the former US secretary of education, recently warned a House panel against opening schools prematurely. He’s one of a growing chorus of voices sounding the alarm about opening schools without properly funding safety measures. The schools, they say, simply don’t have the money they need to make their buildings safe for students and teachers. At that same house panel, witnesses said public schools would need $200 billion in federal aid to open safely with the virus continuing to circ...
Aug 10, 2020•11 min•Season 5Ep. 85
The coronavirus has been spreading worldwide for over seven months now, and more than 18 million people are known to have been infected by it. Over that time, we’ve come to understand that, in most people, the virus causes mild symptoms or none at all -- at least at the time they have the virus. But even asymptomatic patients may suffer lingering effects. Jason Gale reports that it may contribute to the pandemic’s significant, long-term social and economic costs. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
Aug 07, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 84
Earlier this year, school gates around the world slammed shut. The drastic measure worked in many places. Now, as fall approaches, attention is turning back to a pillar of a pandemic-resilient society: schools. The role of children in driving transmission of the coronavirus isn’t clear, and what we know about past respiratory infections isn’t a lot of help. But, as Bloomberg senior editor Jason Gale finds out, some clearer trends are emerging. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 05, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 83
The drug company Eli Lilly is about to start testing its Covid-19 antibody drug in nursing homes. Vaccines may not work as well on elderly people or those with compromised immune systems. Since these are the very groups most at risk for severe disease or death if they contract the coronavirus, a successful antibody treatment could have a marked effect on lowering the pandemic’s death toll. Riley Griffin talks about the new drug, and the promise of antibody treatments. See omnystudio.com/listener...
Aug 03, 2020•12 min•Season 5Ep. 83
In the race to study immunity to the virus, scientists first focused on antibodies -- proteins that stick to and disable foreign invaders. That’s because creating antibodies is the basis for most successful vaccines, so scientists are interested in learning who develops coronavirus antibodies, how long they stick around, and how effective they are at keeping people from getting infected again. But recent studies show there may be another weapon inside the human body that can rouse fresh antibody...
Jul 31, 2020•11 min•Season 5Ep. 82
More than a month into a resurgence of the novel coronavirus that has besieged Sun Belt states, flooded hospitals and strained public-health infrastructure, the U.S. still lacks a complete picture of the reality on the ground. That’s because the U.S. doesn’t have ANY real-time system to track the virus’s spread. At times, even the federal government has had to rely on third-party databases. Emma Court reports on the danger of a Covid-19 data black hole. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...
Jul 29, 2020•12 min•Season 5Ep. 81
An effective vaccine is seen as the world’s greatest hope for achieving some kind of return to normal, and the timeline for developing one has been sped up dramatically. But as hard as it’s going to be to make a vaccine quickly, once we do, we’ll have a new problem: Getting it to billions of people. Brendan Murray explains how difficult it will be for the global supply chain to distribute and administer the drug. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 27, 2020•13 min•Season 5Ep. 80
A few places in the U.S. are still relatively unscathed by the virus, but they haven’t been able to escape the economic devastation. Esmé E. Deprez reports on why the fallout from Covid-19 is devastating Maine's lobster business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 24, 2020•10 min•Season 5Ep. 79
When physicians and hospitals became overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, other medical services, from routine tests to emergency room visits, fell dramatically. The long-term consequences of Americans putting off basic medical care may be disastrous. John Tozzi reports on a new push by the health-care industry to stop so-called "Medical Distancing.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 22, 2020•15 min•Season 5Ep. 78
The small South American nation of Uruguay is best known for its grass-fed beef and Atlantic beaches. But the country of 3.5 million people has another distinction: It seems to have dodged the worst of the Covid-19 outbreak despite being nestled between hotspot countries. The country has seen just 1,000 or so cases since the pandemic began, and only 33 deaths. Ken Parks reports the reasons may have as much to do with its policies from years past, as its present day virus response. See omnystudio...
Jul 20, 2020•12 min•Season 5Ep. 77
An experimental Covid vaccine from Australia joined almost two dozen candidates in clinical trials this week. Development-wise, it’s months behind some of the frontrunners. Jason Gale explains that speed isn’t everything when it comes to fighting the pandemic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 17, 2020•13 min•Season 5Ep. 76
The killers of Berta Caceres had every reason to believe they’d get away with murder. More than 100 other environmental activists in Honduras had been killed in the previous five years, yet almost no one had been punished for the crimes. Bloomberg’s Blood River follows a four-year quest to find her killers – a twisting trail that leads into the country’s circles of power. Blood River premieres on July 27. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 16, 2020•4 min
While wearing a mask, or refusing to wear one, has become politicized, there’s one Covid safety measure we seem to be comparatively united about: Everyone knows they should stand six feet away from other people in public. But where did this guidance come from? Kristen V. Brown reports that one simple number is already changing our behavior, and will soon change the places where we live, work and play. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 15, 2020•13 min•Season 5Ep. 75
We’re learning more about how the virus that causes Covid-19 is spread from person to person. For the most part, it happens when we’re in close contact with an infected person, who emits tiny liquid particles by coughing, sneezing, speaking or singing. You get sick by inhaling the droplets, or having them travel into your ears or nose. But researchers are looking at another way it may be transmitted. Jason Gale reports that virus-laden aerosols, floating in gas clouds, might be capable of infect...
Jul 13, 2020•16 min•Season 5Ep. 74
With the start of school fast approaching, institutions from elementary schools to colleges are rushing to reinvent themselves for the coronavirus era. Some are shifting to a mix of in-person and virtual classes. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pushing schools to reopen completely, regardless of safety. Emma Court reports that as schools become the latest political touchpoint in the Covid crisis, there are far more questions than answers about how to keep classrooms safe. See omnystudio.c...
Jul 10, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 73
In the almost 200 days since coronavirus cases were first reported in central China, health workers and researchers have raced to learn more about the brand new pathogen. As many as 1,000 Covid-19-related research papers are being released daily. Jason Gale reports that the research, and the experience of front-line health care workers, is informing better ways to diagnose, prevent and treat the disease. That’s helping to save lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 08, 2020•13 min•Season 5Ep. 72
As a second Coronavirus wave threatens America, a wave of job losses since the disease first hit has left millions without health insurance. Reade Pickert explains that in other developed economies, the newly unemployed could rely on systems of universal health care. In America, they’ve had to navigate a bewildering menu of options to figure out if they have access to a patched-together safety net. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 06, 2020•12 min•Season 5Ep. 71
The U.S. is home to the highest number of Covid-19 cases—2.6 million and counting—and the most deaths. The reasons for that are at least, in part, very American ones: Politicized science, a fragmented media landscape, and inequality. Executive Editor Brian Bremner reflects on how decades of political division have made the country a coronavirus superpower in the worst way--an outcome that was entirely avoidable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 03, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 70
Coronavirus continues its terrifying rampage of large swaths of the country. But the Trump administration has made a point of mentioning that even while cases are rising, deaths are declining. That disconnect is, he says, proof the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. But the mismatch could be an anomaly caused by quirks in how deaths data is collected and reported. It's not necessarily a sign the coronavirus is becoming less lethal or easier to treat. Robert Langreth and Emma Court report that i...
Jul 01, 2020•14 min•Season 5Ep. 69
