Can we live with COVID?

After two years of crippling waves of coronavirus, many strict lockdowns, and millions of people dead – several European countries are hoping to treat the pandemic as a thing of the past.

Some of these countries see those figures as a sign the disease can be treated as endemic – another of many illnesses that we have learned to live with.

Spain has one of the economies that has been hardest-hit on the continent, and has led calls for restrictions to be dropped soon.

Portugal has already eased major curbs on crowded venues.

And the United Kingdom and Ireland are set to drop most restrictions during the following week.

But does that convince anyone?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Tikki Pangestu – Visiting professor at the Yoo Loo Lin School of Medicine at National University of Singapore, and a former WHO director specialising in pandemic preparedness and global health governance

Dr Mohga Kamal-Yanni – Consultant on global health and senior health policy adviser for People’s Vaccine Alliance

Chris Smith – Consultant virologist and clinical microbiology specialist, as well as the editor and host of, The Naked Scientists podcast