Coronavirus Pandemic

Unlocking the novel coronavirus

We discuss what makes the novel coronavirus such an effective and dangerous pathogen in the human body and the race to develop a vaccine against it.

Air Date: April 17, 2020 10:00 am

Laboratory Scientist Andrea Luquette cultures coronavirus to prepare for testing at U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., Thursday, March 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Guests: Paul Offit, Angela Rasmussen, Belinda Birnbaum

We’ve all heard the frightening descriptions of individuals battling the novel coronavirus – and sometimes dying from it. Why does this new virus wreak such havoc on the human body and why is it so difficult to beat back? This hour we look at what we know about this deadly pathogen and how it infects the body. Joining us is PAUL OFFIT, professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, and ANGELA RASMUSSEN, virologist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. We also talk about the race to develop a vaccine and what it takes to make, test, and deploy one around the globe. And we hear from covid-19 survivor and rheumatologist, BELINDA BIRNBAUM, about her fight with the virus.

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