[[GRETA]]
ON PLUGGED IN …
IT HAS BEEN A YEAR …
OF LIFE AND DEATH …
IN THE COVID PANDEMIC.
BUT AN END IS IN SIGHT.
[[SOT-JOE BIDEN ON VACCINES BY THE END OF MAY - 'We are now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May."]]
WITH MORE SHOTS …
GOING INTO MORE ARMS …
WHAT WILL HAPPEN …
WITH THE VIRUS?
[[SOT-JENNIE LAVINE - Six months to a year from now, once almost everyone has had either a vaccination or first infection, I think we could likely get back to something resembling normal life. Whatever that is.”]]
THE LESSONS LEARNED …
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD …
AND A PEEK …
INTO HOW WE LIVE …
WITH COVID ...
ON PLUGGED IN …
THE PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[GRETA]]
HELLO AND WELCOME …
TO PLUGGED IN.
I’M GRETA VAN SUSTEREN …
REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON, DC.
ONE YEAR AGO …
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ...
DECLARED A GLOBAL PANDEMIC…
FOR THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS …
COVID-19.
SINCE THEN …
MORE THAN 115-MILLION CASES …
HAVE BEEN RECORDED.
MORE THAN …
TWO-AND-A-HALF MILLION PEOPLE …
HAVE DIED.
THE UNITED STATES …
HAS HAD MORE …
REPORTED INFECTIONS …
THAN THE TOP THREE …
COUNTRIES COMBINED.
MORE THAN …
500-THOUSAND PEOPLE …
HAVE DIED OF COVID …
IN THE U.S.
SINCE TAKING OFFICE ...
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ...
HAS PRIORITIZED …
ENDING THE PANDEMIC …
PROMISING A VACCINATION SHOT …
FOR EVERY AMERICAN …
WHO WANTS ONE …
BY THE END OF MAY.
VOA’S STEVE BARAGONA …
HAS COVERED THE PANDEMIC …
SINCE THE START.
TODAY, HE IS LOOKING AHEAD …
TO HOW THIS MIGHT END.
[[STOP]]
[BARAGONA/FUTURE PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
By early May of 2020, the United States had the largest percentage of people sick with COVID-19 of all the G7 industrialized countries.
One year in, no one else is close. And the United States is third in deaths by population.
((Lawrence Gostin, Georgetown University Health Expert))
"America's public health resilience has been shown to be an utter failure with COVID-19. We're the richest country in the world and the poorest performer in a pandemic. That's inexcusable."
((NARRATOR))
Gostin says the U.S. public health system has been starved for funding and staff for years. It could not handle the load when the pandemic hit.
But he and others place much of the blame on former President Donald Trump’s administration.
((Tom Frieden, Former CDC Director))
"It was a response that was not based on science, it was not well organized, and it did not communicate in a forthright way with the public."
((President Donald Trump))
"Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just a very powerful light, and I think you said that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it."
((NARRATOR))
Promoting unreliable treatments, sidelining scientists and politicizing basic prevention, experts accuse Trump of undermining America’s response to the pandemic.
Trump does get credit for investing in the fastest vaccine development in history, an effort starting to pay dividends.
But since Joe Biden took over the presidency in January, top experts are visibly relieved.
((Lawrence Gostin, Georgetown University Health Expert))
"By comparison, this is night and day."
((Tom Frieden, Former CDC Director))
"On day one, they released a plan. We didn't have a plan for a whole year. And it was a good plan."
((Anthony Fauci, NIAID Director))
"The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence, what the science is, and know that's it, let the science speak, it is somewhat of a liberating feeling."
((NARRATOR))
But the science says there is a long way to go. Infection rates are down, but dangerous variants are spreading.
Vaccines are rolling out, but getting shots is difficult and riddled with racial inequities.
Vaccine hesitancy is declining, but still worryingly high.
The virus is not going away anytime soon. But Gostin says it will get more manageable.
((Lawrence Gostin, Georgetown University Health Expert))
"We're going to have to be vigilant. It's not going to be over-over, but we're going to learn to live with COVID-19. And we'll live with it reasonably well."
((NARRATOR))
One year down. Maybe more to go. But experts say they may not be as bad.
((STEVE BARAGONA, VOA NEWS))
[[GRETA]]
STUDENTS ARE NOW …
GOING BACK TO SCHOOL …
IN BRITAIN …
AS PART OF THE UK’S PLAN …
TO LIFT ALL COVID RESTRICTIONS …
BY JUNE.
IN ITALY, PEOPLE OVER AGE 65 ...
ARE NOW BEEN APPROVED...
FOR THE ASTRA-ZENECA VACCINE.
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ...
HOPED THEIR WELL-FUNDED ...
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS ...
WOULD OFFER SOME PROTECTION.
BUT THE CONTINENT …
WAS ONE OF COVID’S …
EARLY TARGETS ...
AND IT STILL FACES …
HIGH INFECTION RATES.
FROM LONDON …
HERE IS VOA’S …
HENRY RIDGWELL …
ON EUROPE’S …
PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[PKG/RIDGWELL EUROPE]]
((NARRATOR))
Codogno, in northern Italy, still bears the scars of its unwanted fame: the epicenter of Europe’s first coronavirus outbreak.
On February 20 last year, a 38-year-old was admitted to the hospital with breathing problems. He was diagnosed with the virus the following day. Head doctor Francesco Tursi recalls the horror that unfolded.
((Dr. Francesco Tursi, Codogno Hospital (in Italian) ))
“We heard about one, two, three cases, and we were immediately submerged with patients with serious breathing problems, they couldn’t breathe, we didn’t even have time to think. This literally changed our lives.”
((NARRATOR))
Tursi himself caught the virus days later – and spent a month in the hospital.
As cases multiplied, northern Italy went into lockdown. It was too little, too late. In the following days, several European countries reported new cases.
By the time the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11, Spain, France and several other European states had imposed lockdowns.
But Britain held off, delaying its lockdown for two more weeks -- against scientific advice.
((Neil Ferguson, Former British Government Scientific Adviser))
"Had we introduced lockdown measures a week earlier, we would have reduced the final death toll by at least a half.”
((NARRATOR))
Britain would suffer the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe in 2020. Its economy was also among the worst hit, shrinking by 10%.
((Dr. Peter Drobac, University of Oxford))
“The U.K. is really a great example of this notion that when you try to choose between public health or the economy, you lose both.”
((NARRATOR))
In Turkey, doctors accused the government of trying to hide the true scale of the pandemic as hospitals filled with patients.
((NARRATOR))
Russia was also accused of a cover-up – with doctors claiming the true death toll was likely three times higher than the official total of 57,000 deaths in 2020.
((NARRATOR))
As lockdowns continued into the summer, governments across Europe pumped billions into their economies to try to keep businesses afloat and people in jobs. Public debt soared.
((NARRATOR))
But as a bleak 2020 drew to a close, science offered hope. Medical trials showed that several vaccines offered remarkable protection against COVID-19, with Britain the first Western country to roll out a mass vaccination program.
((Dr. Peter Drobac, University of Oxford))
“We cannot underestimate the scale of achievement that this has been, to go from the identification of a new virus and (genetically) sequence it only in January of 2020, to 11 months later having a number of safe and extraordinarily effective vaccines.”
((NARRATOR))
Dangers lurk ahead. Infections remain high and there are fears over new, more resistant strains of the virus circulating in Europe.
Back in Codogno, Dr. Tursi is still treating coronavirus patients. Like hundreds of thousands of other frontline workers, Tursi risked his life to help others survive. The pandemic has changed life in countless ways – and it’s not over yet.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
[[GRETA]]
THE U.S. IS PLEDGING …
FOUR BILLION DOLLARS …
TO HELP DISTRIBUTE …
COVID-19 VACCINES …
TO DEVELOPING NATIONS.
A NEW VARIANT …
OF THE VIRUS …
LED TO HIGH INFECTION …
AND DEATH RATES …
IN SOUTH AFRICA …
AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.
FROM JOHANNESBURG ...
VOA’S ANITA POWELL …
REPORTS ON …
AFRICA’S CHALLENGES …
OF THE PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[POWELL/AFRICA PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
What a difference a year makes in the life of a pandemic.
But in Africa: what a difference a week makes.
In recent weeks, as Africa prepared to mark the milestone of a year since the virus made landfall, millions of long-awaited vaccine doses finally began to rain upon the continent. Many were provided by the global COVAX facility, which provides vaccines to lower-income countries.
That, officials say, has flipped this tale from one of despair to one of hope.
And, says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Africa had a hand in turning the tide.
((President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa (in English))
“South Africa's scientists and research institutions have made an important contribution to these efforts and have contributed to global knowledge about the disease, including on the emergence of new variants. And in this regard, our scientists who we should be proud of, have really led the way and they are recognized globally.”
((NARRATOR))
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, officials this month received their first delivery of 1.7 million vaccines, through COVAX.
Village Reach, an aid organization that focuses on remote, rural low-income countries, has been working to help that population. Their DRC country director told VOA that while African nations appear to have a lower proportion of confirmed cases and deaths, the pandemic has still hit hard here.
((Freddy Nkosi, Village Reach))
“Africa, yes we are as affected as the rest of the world, in different proportion. But we have to continue to protect ourselves through all the protective measures, but also we have to get vaccinated so that we are all protected.”
((NARRATOR))
Dr. Richard Lessells, one of South Africa’s top viral researchers, says the continent’s largest vaccine drive, in South Africa, looks promising after fits and starts.
Last month, South African authorities suddenly reversed course after receiving 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which researchers found to be less effective against the new variant that accounts for the majority of the nation’s new cases. South Africa quickly switched to the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the process still delayed the vaccination campaign.
Lessells says that as the continent stares down this anniversary, it needs one thing: time.
((Dr. Richard Lessells, University of KwaZulu-Natal (English 19 seconds)))
“I think only time will tell once we get beyond that first priority group of the health care workers and start delivering it to the other vulnerable groups within the population. We’ll then get a much better sense of how we're doing here in South Africa.”
((NARRATOR))
So what is year two of the pandemic going to look like in Africa? On this, everyone seems to agree: Busy.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Johannesburg))
[GRETA]
AS VACCINATIONS RAMP UP ...
EXPERTS STUDYING COVID-19 ...
ARE TAKING …
WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED...
ABOUT THE VIRUS ...
TO MODEL ITS BEHAVIOR ...
IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS …
EVEN YEARS AHEAD.
JENNIE LAVINE (PRONO: LAH-VEEN) ...
IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCHER …
AT EMORY UNIVERSITY ...
IN ATLANTA.
I ASKED HER ABOUT ...
WHAT LIVING WITH COVID …
MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
[[STOP]]
[[SOT/LAVINE INTERVIEW]]
JL: Of course, there's a lot of unknowns because this is a new beast in the human population, but we do live with some of its very close relatives which are endemic coronaviruses. And so we've been looking to them to try to understand what this might look like, what covid-19 might look like when it becomes endemic So when it's no longer in this phase where we're having a giant outbreak where everyone, tons and tons of people are getting infected in a very short span of time. And and so we've been looking at these four human coronaviruses that circulate endemically and interestingly they just cause a mild cold in the vast majority of people. And so we've been trying to understand how does that relate to what is happening with this, you know, the massive hospitalizations and deaths with covid-19? And is it possible that that's what covid-19 will look like in the future.
GVS: Well, we've got a number of vaccines and we seem to be marching forward to trying to get this behind us. We've got a huge road ahead of us and everyone has some level or not everyone but a lot of people have some level of optimism. Is there something that you're a little bit concerned about Is there something sort of on your radar screen that worries you?
JL: Yeah, um, there is, think what we're seeing right now we're sort of starting to see the first evidence of what happens in populations where a lot of people have immunity. And so I think all of these sort of predictions that I've been talking that we've been talking about in the past few minutes. Many of which are fairly optimistic, that maybe this could just turn into another common cold, which would be fantastic and does seem plausible. It really relies on the idea that one or two infections or one or two doses of vaccine will lead to really long-lasting disease reducing immunity. It doesn't have to have such strong immunity that it blocks transmission, but it does really have to reduce disease for a long time.
GVS: Is there any explanation as to why If you even know is that why children at least right now seem less likely to get covered? Is there any explanation for that?
JL: They’re, really we don't know, it seems like they may be somewhat less likely to get it and it's very clear that if they get it there way less likely to get a severe case, which is really promising in the long term. But we don't know why. We really just don't know. It's one of those mysteries There's a group in New York City who look at age effects of an on the immune system and how how different aged people respond to these viruses and they're doing some work to try to figure it out, but we don't know.
GVS: It's so easy to look at things with 20 20 and the world looks at sars-cov-2. And we now see the devastating effect of it, should we have seen it coming so that we could have headed headed it off more at the pass instead of, you know, basically making it easier to spread around the world? And is there a covid three on the horizon? I mean, do you fear one?
JL: I think we're learning a lot of lessons about pandemic preparedness right now, I think, but there are characteristics of sars-cov-2 of covid-19 that are different and made it harder for the world to contain it than SARS cov one. And a lot of that has to do with what we were talking about before of how transmissible it is.That said, the. There are countries that have done a really really good job of containing it. And in containing it, they not only prevented infections and hospitalizations and deaths in their country, they gave the virus a little bit less room to develop these variants before we could get vaccines out. So I think it it's the hard bug and it would have been hard under any circumstances. I also think that I hope that the world as a as a global community we've learned some lessons about the importance of of early containment.
GVS: Do you want to go out on a limb and sort of guess when we can predict when we can get back to normal? Is that an impossibility?
JL: I think, if the dose or two of a vaccine or an infection or two prevent severe disease, even if it allows for transmission like we are just talking about, if it prevents severe disease for a long time, then, six months to a year from now, once almost everyone has had either a vaccination or a first infection.
I think that we could likely get back to something resembling normal life whatever that is.
GVS: Well that sounds like a little light at the end of the tunnel. And thank you very much for joining me.
JL: Yeah absolutely. My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
Iran recorded its first coronavirus infections in February 2020 – one of the first outbreaks outside China. Within days it had become a global epicenter. Government figures suggest 60,000 people have died since the outbreak began - but the true number is likely far higher. Critics say early mistakes by the government cost lives.
((Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies))
“You saw them first deny it, then downplay it. The challenge is that the health and welfare of its own people is not priority number one. And when you’re facing a global pandemic, that means your citizens are going to bear the brunt of it.
By the time the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11, the outbreak had spread across the Middle East.
In Yemen and Syria – countries racked by deep-rooted conflicts - the pandemic compounded the pressure on fragile health systems. In May, the United Nations warned that the Yemeni health system had collapsed.
((Dabwan Al-Makhlafi, Taiz Cemetery Worker (in Arabic) ))
“When there was a spike in deaths because of the coronavirus and other diseases, the workers were not able to keep up with the digging, the burial and finishing of the graves.”
The festival of Eid al-Fitr in May, the end of Ramadan, was marked with somber, socially distanced worship across the Muslim world.
In Lebanon, economic and political crises compounded by the pandemic – and exacerbated by the August explosion in Beirut port – pushed the country to the brink.
By September there were worsening outbreaks in several refugee camps in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
As third waves of the pandemic gripped Europe, the United States and Latin America at the end of 2020, the Middle East fared better than many feared. But the World Health Organization warns the situation remains precarious.
((Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean (in Arabic) ))
“In our region, where people and healthcare institutions suffer constantly with war, natural disasters and diseases, this virus has demanded all our efforts.”
That effort is now being directed toward vaccinations. Israel has rolled out the fastest mass vaccination program in the world. Over half the population has received a first dose.
((Doctor Peter Drobac, University of Oxford))
“Number one they did some things right in terms of purchasing agreements and getting early access to the vaccines. But really this is all about operations and organization.”
Vaccination rates vary sharply across the Middle East. In the occupied West Bank and Gaza, vaccination rates lag far behind those in Israel. The United Nations says Israel should provide vaccines; the Israeli government says health care is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority.
Many countries in the region are using Chinese and Russian-made vaccines - and are hoping to benefit from the global COVAX facility which provides vaccines to poorer nations.
The danger is not over. The World Health Organization says new strains of the virus are circulating in the region - which could be more infectious and resistant to vaccines.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News.))
[[GRETA]]
LOCKDOWN ORDERS …
AND SOCIAL DISTANCING …
CREATED A SUDDEN SHIFT …
IN THE WORLD’S WORK HABITS.
WHILE MANY ESSENTIAL WORKERS …
HAD TO REPORT TO WORKPLACES …
OTHERS WERE ABLE …
TO WORK FROM HOME ...
WITH THE FREEDOM …
TO CHOOSE WHERE …
TO LIVE AND WORK.
KEITH KOCINSKI (PRONO: KOH-SIN-SKEE)
REPORTS FROM NEW YORK CITY.
[[STOP]]
[[KOCINSKI PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
Ancram, New York - a small farming town of about 15-hundred people – two hours north of New York City.
((Nat sound of fireplace))
Ancram may not be the first place one would expect to find international supermodel Saskia de Brauw, Dutch photographer and filmmaker Vincent van de Wijngaard, and their four-year-old daughter, Luna. But....
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
“Life is pretty good here. There is space. You get great produce, so the quality of life is quite amazing.”
It’s not where they expected to be - and it’s a stark contrast from their apartment in Brooklyn, New York.
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
“It was a great life. We had everything well organized. My daughter went to school not too far away and there were friends to see and just a lovely neighborhood.”
((NARRATOR))
The coronavirus pandemic changed that.
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
“We thought it would be all quickly a thing of the past and it wasn’t.”
As the infection spread through New York and the family was confined to their apartment, they looked beyond the city...
and bought this small home in this rural part of the state before they had even seen it in person.
((Jamyl Harrison, Real Estate Agent, Compass, NY))
“We did notice a large body of New Yorkers take this opportunity to find solitude in another area where they had space, where they weren’t on top of other people so they could at least protect themselves and their families.
((NARRATOR))
At the same time, home prices in New York City dropped by 15 to 20 percent because of the pandemic, allowing people with lower income levels to move into some of the most affluent Manhattan neighborhoods.
((Sam Chandan - NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate))
((Mandatory cg: Skype))
“Rents have come down in a way that has actually eased some of the affordability crisis.”
((NARRATOR))
The average salary in those high-end neighborhoods has dropped from $140,000 to $82,000 and economists say the income of the new arrivals is around 40 percent less than those who are leaving the city.
Yet many expect residents will return to New York and other cities as the pandemic wanes, lured by the lower prices.
((Sam Chandan - NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate))
“While the balance has shifted somewhat, to describe it as an urban exodus is clearly an exaggeration.”
Real estate agents say the availability of COVID vaccines is already having an impact on the housing market.
((Jamyl Harrison, Real Estate Agent, Compass NY))
“I’m noticing people are ready to come back to New York. They are seeing this as an opportunity. Those that are in the position, in the buyer’s position, are grabbing a really good deal right now.”
While Vincent and Saskia are not yet ready to give up living in the country, they are also feeling the pull of Brooklyn.
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
"We feel the city has something very special to offer and I think after six months being upstate, we kind of started missing it."
((Keith Kocinski, for VOA News, Ancram, New York))
[[GRETA]]
SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS …
HAVE BEEN DESCRIBING …
COVID-19 …
AS A NOVEL CORONAVIRUS …
“NOVEL” MEANING …
THAT IT IS NEW …
ATTACKING PEOPLE …
IN WAYS NEVER SEEN BEFORE ...
FROM A CORONAVIRUS.
VOA HEALTH CORRESPONDENT …
CAROL PEARSON …
EXPLAINS WHAT MEDICAL EXPERTS …
HAVE DISCOVERED …
AND ARE STILL MYSTIFIED ABOUT …
IN THE PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[PEARSON PKG]]
It’s the second time a coronavirus has sickened people and caused death. SARS first appeared in China in November 2002. The current version of the virus emerged from China in 2019, which is why it is called COVID-19.
The virus invades the lungs. Once there, it multiplies and neutralizes the molecules that help us fight infection.
Most people recover, but the virus can damage the lungs and leave patients gasping for air.
Thomas Steele needed a double lung transplant because of COVID.
((Thomas Steele, COVID-19 survivor))
“It’s nothing like sitting in your hospital room gasping for every breath and air you take, and I did that for 58 days.”
((NARRATOR))
The lungs pass oxygen into the bloodstream, and the virus can damage the lungs and make the oxygen levels fall.
((patient on ventilator))
Patients may need to be put on a ventilator to help them breathe.
COVID-19 can also cause dangerous clotting in the bloodstream. People who already have damaged blood vessels, from high blood pressure or stroke, and those with heart disease have a higher risk of serious disease.
These clots can form throughout the body, including in the lungs and the heart. The clotting can cause heart attack or stroke.
((((COVIDHeartDamageTX))
Dr. Allen Anderson is one of many cardiologists who saw people with healthy hearts suffer heart damage.
((Dr. Allen Anderson, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio)((Mandatory cg: COVIDHeartDamageTX))
“They had elevations of blood enzyme markers that were consistent with a heart attack even though they didn’t have any blockages in their coronary arteries, they had heart rhythm disturbances, and this occurred with quite high provenance.”
((Mandatory cg: YouTube))
The virus and the inflammation that accompanies it, can damage the heart tissue. Some of the damage can be reversed. But some cannot.
((END COURTESY))
Doctors have also learned that the virus can damage another vital organ — the kidneys. A large New York medical system looked at more than 5,000 COVID patients last year. Their findings?
((Dr. Kenar Jhaveri, Hofstra/Northwell Hospital))
“Of the 5,449 patients, 36.6% of them developed acute renal failure or kidney injury. Of the ones that got kidney injury, 14% required dialysis.”
((NARRATOR))
Scientists are still studying the impact of COVID-19 on the body. But the most severe effects start with the lungs. Damaged lungs have a harder time getting oxygen to the bloodstream. And organs need oxygen to function. If there is none, they can fail … the lungs, the heart, the kidneys and the liver.
And then there are long-term consequences of the disease. Some are not life-threatening but can affect the quality of life.
Symptoms include persistent fatigue, headache, shortness of breath or chest pain. Others may experience brain fog or memory issues. And still others have lingering feelings of anxiety and depression.
Anyone, not just those who were hospitalized, can have long-term symptoms. And there’s no way to tell who will be affected.
((Dr. Kristin Englund, Cleveland Clinic))
“We don’t really know right now how many patients will develop these long-COVID symptoms after they have had this infection. Studies look at anywhere between 10% and 80%, so there could be a large number of people who are experiencing symptoms well after that four-week time period when we expect people to normally recover.”
((NARRATOR))
Some medical centers have started special clinics to treat the long-haulers, people whose symptoms persist even after they have recovered from COVID. Others may not be long-haulers, but their lives have changed drastically because of COVID-19.
((Thomas Steele, recovered from COVID-19))
“I’ll never be the same person for the rest of my life.”
((NARRATOR))
He is one of many who will never be the same because of COVID-19.
((Carol Pearson, VOA News))
[[GRETA]]
THAT’S ALL THE TIME …
WE HAVE FOR NOW.
THANKS TO MY GUEST…
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT ...
JENNIE LAVINE ((LAH-VEEN))
STAY UP TO DATE …
ON THE COVID PANDEMIC …
AND THE LATEST NEWS …
AT VOANEWS.COM
AND FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
AT GRETA.
THANKS FOR BEING …
PLUGGED IN.
[[STOP]]
ON PLUGGED IN …
IT HAS BEEN A YEAR …
OF LIFE AND DEATH …
IN THE COVID PANDEMIC.
BUT AN END IS IN SIGHT.
[[SOT-JOE BIDEN ON VACCINES BY THE END OF MAY - 'We are now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May."]]
WITH MORE SHOTS …
GOING INTO MORE ARMS …
WHAT WILL HAPPEN …
WITH THE VIRUS?
[[SOT-JENNIE LAVINE - Six months to a year from now, once almost everyone has had either a vaccination or first infection, I think we could likely get back to something resembling normal life. Whatever that is.”]]
THE LESSONS LEARNED …
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD …
AND A PEEK …
INTO HOW WE LIVE …
WITH COVID ...
ON PLUGGED IN …
THE PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[GRETA]]
HELLO AND WELCOME …
TO PLUGGED IN.
I’M GRETA VAN SUSTEREN …
REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON, DC.
ONE YEAR AGO …
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ...
DECLARED A GLOBAL PANDEMIC…
FOR THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS …
COVID-19.
SINCE THEN …
MORE THAN 115-MILLION CASES …
HAVE BEEN RECORDED.
MORE THAN …
TWO-AND-A-HALF MILLION PEOPLE …
HAVE DIED.
THE UNITED STATES …
HAS HAD MORE …
REPORTED INFECTIONS …
THAN THE TOP THREE …
COUNTRIES COMBINED.
MORE THAN …
500-THOUSAND PEOPLE …
HAVE DIED OF COVID …
IN THE U.S.
SINCE TAKING OFFICE ...
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ...
HAS PRIORITIZED …
ENDING THE PANDEMIC …
PROMISING A VACCINATION SHOT …
FOR EVERY AMERICAN …
WHO WANTS ONE …
BY THE END OF MAY.
VOA’S STEVE BARAGONA …
HAS COVERED THE PANDEMIC …
SINCE THE START.
TODAY, HE IS LOOKING AHEAD …
TO HOW THIS MIGHT END.
[[STOP]]
[BARAGONA/FUTURE PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
By early May of 2020, the United States had the largest percentage of people sick with COVID-19 of all the G7 industrialized countries.
One year in, no one else is close. And the United States is third in deaths by population.
((Lawrence Gostin, Georgetown University Health Expert))
"America's public health resilience has been shown to be an utter failure with COVID-19. We're the richest country in the world and the poorest performer in a pandemic. That's inexcusable."
((NARRATOR))
Gostin says the U.S. public health system has been starved for funding and staff for years. It could not handle the load when the pandemic hit.
But he and others place much of the blame on former President Donald Trump’s administration.
((Tom Frieden, Former CDC Director))
"It was a response that was not based on science, it was not well organized, and it did not communicate in a forthright way with the public."
((President Donald Trump))
"Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just a very powerful light, and I think you said that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it."
((NARRATOR))
Promoting unreliable treatments, sidelining scientists and politicizing basic prevention, experts accuse Trump of undermining America’s response to the pandemic.
Trump does get credit for investing in the fastest vaccine development in history, an effort starting to pay dividends.
But since Joe Biden took over the presidency in January, top experts are visibly relieved.
((Lawrence Gostin, Georgetown University Health Expert))
"By comparison, this is night and day."
((Tom Frieden, Former CDC Director))
"On day one, they released a plan. We didn't have a plan for a whole year. And it was a good plan."
((Anthony Fauci, NIAID Director))
"The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence, what the science is, and know that's it, let the science speak, it is somewhat of a liberating feeling."
((NARRATOR))
But the science says there is a long way to go. Infection rates are down, but dangerous variants are spreading.
Vaccines are rolling out, but getting shots is difficult and riddled with racial inequities.
Vaccine hesitancy is declining, but still worryingly high.
The virus is not going away anytime soon. But Gostin says it will get more manageable.
((Lawrence Gostin, Georgetown University Health Expert))
"We're going to have to be vigilant. It's not going to be over-over, but we're going to learn to live with COVID-19. And we'll live with it reasonably well."
((NARRATOR))
One year down. Maybe more to go. But experts say they may not be as bad.
((STEVE BARAGONA, VOA NEWS))
[[GRETA]]
STUDENTS ARE NOW …
GOING BACK TO SCHOOL …
IN BRITAIN …
AS PART OF THE UK’S PLAN …
TO LIFT ALL COVID RESTRICTIONS …
BY JUNE.
IN ITALY, PEOPLE OVER AGE 65 ...
ARE NOW BEEN APPROVED...
FOR THE ASTRA-ZENECA VACCINE.
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ...
HOPED THEIR WELL-FUNDED ...
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS ...
WOULD OFFER SOME PROTECTION.
BUT THE CONTINENT …
WAS ONE OF COVID’S …
EARLY TARGETS ...
AND IT STILL FACES …
HIGH INFECTION RATES.
FROM LONDON …
HERE IS VOA’S …
HENRY RIDGWELL …
ON EUROPE’S …
PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[PKG/RIDGWELL EUROPE]]
((NARRATOR))
Codogno, in northern Italy, still bears the scars of its unwanted fame: the epicenter of Europe’s first coronavirus outbreak.
On February 20 last year, a 38-year-old was admitted to the hospital with breathing problems. He was diagnosed with the virus the following day. Head doctor Francesco Tursi recalls the horror that unfolded.
((Dr. Francesco Tursi, Codogno Hospital (in Italian) ))
“We heard about one, two, three cases, and we were immediately submerged with patients with serious breathing problems, they couldn’t breathe, we didn’t even have time to think. This literally changed our lives.”
((NARRATOR))
Tursi himself caught the virus days later – and spent a month in the hospital.
As cases multiplied, northern Italy went into lockdown. It was too little, too late. In the following days, several European countries reported new cases.
By the time the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11, Spain, France and several other European states had imposed lockdowns.
But Britain held off, delaying its lockdown for two more weeks -- against scientific advice.
((Neil Ferguson, Former British Government Scientific Adviser))
"Had we introduced lockdown measures a week earlier, we would have reduced the final death toll by at least a half.”
((NARRATOR))
Britain would suffer the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe in 2020. Its economy was also among the worst hit, shrinking by 10%.
((Dr. Peter Drobac, University of Oxford))
“The U.K. is really a great example of this notion that when you try to choose between public health or the economy, you lose both.”
((NARRATOR))
In Turkey, doctors accused the government of trying to hide the true scale of the pandemic as hospitals filled with patients.
((NARRATOR))
Russia was also accused of a cover-up – with doctors claiming the true death toll was likely three times higher than the official total of 57,000 deaths in 2020.
((NARRATOR))
As lockdowns continued into the summer, governments across Europe pumped billions into their economies to try to keep businesses afloat and people in jobs. Public debt soared.
((NARRATOR))
But as a bleak 2020 drew to a close, science offered hope. Medical trials showed that several vaccines offered remarkable protection against COVID-19, with Britain the first Western country to roll out a mass vaccination program.
((Dr. Peter Drobac, University of Oxford))
“We cannot underestimate the scale of achievement that this has been, to go from the identification of a new virus and (genetically) sequence it only in January of 2020, to 11 months later having a number of safe and extraordinarily effective vaccines.”
((NARRATOR))
Dangers lurk ahead. Infections remain high and there are fears over new, more resistant strains of the virus circulating in Europe.
Back in Codogno, Dr. Tursi is still treating coronavirus patients. Like hundreds of thousands of other frontline workers, Tursi risked his life to help others survive. The pandemic has changed life in countless ways – and it’s not over yet.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
[[GRETA]]
THE U.S. IS PLEDGING …
FOUR BILLION DOLLARS …
TO HELP DISTRIBUTE …
COVID-19 VACCINES …
TO DEVELOPING NATIONS.
A NEW VARIANT …
OF THE VIRUS …
LED TO HIGH INFECTION …
AND DEATH RATES …
IN SOUTH AFRICA …
AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.
FROM JOHANNESBURG ...
VOA’S ANITA POWELL …
REPORTS ON …
AFRICA’S CHALLENGES …
OF THE PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[POWELL/AFRICA PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
What a difference a year makes in the life of a pandemic.
But in Africa: what a difference a week makes.
In recent weeks, as Africa prepared to mark the milestone of a year since the virus made landfall, millions of long-awaited vaccine doses finally began to rain upon the continent. Many were provided by the global COVAX facility, which provides vaccines to lower-income countries.
That, officials say, has flipped this tale from one of despair to one of hope.
And, says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Africa had a hand in turning the tide.
((President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa (in English))
“South Africa's scientists and research institutions have made an important contribution to these efforts and have contributed to global knowledge about the disease, including on the emergence of new variants. And in this regard, our scientists who we should be proud of, have really led the way and they are recognized globally.”
((NARRATOR))
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, officials this month received their first delivery of 1.7 million vaccines, through COVAX.
Village Reach, an aid organization that focuses on remote, rural low-income countries, has been working to help that population. Their DRC country director told VOA that while African nations appear to have a lower proportion of confirmed cases and deaths, the pandemic has still hit hard here.
((Freddy Nkosi, Village Reach))
“Africa, yes we are as affected as the rest of the world, in different proportion. But we have to continue to protect ourselves through all the protective measures, but also we have to get vaccinated so that we are all protected.”
((NARRATOR))
Dr. Richard Lessells, one of South Africa’s top viral researchers, says the continent’s largest vaccine drive, in South Africa, looks promising after fits and starts.
Last month, South African authorities suddenly reversed course after receiving 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which researchers found to be less effective against the new variant that accounts for the majority of the nation’s new cases. South Africa quickly switched to the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the process still delayed the vaccination campaign.
Lessells says that as the continent stares down this anniversary, it needs one thing: time.
((Dr. Richard Lessells, University of KwaZulu-Natal (English 19 seconds)))
“I think only time will tell once we get beyond that first priority group of the health care workers and start delivering it to the other vulnerable groups within the population. We’ll then get a much better sense of how we're doing here in South Africa.”
((NARRATOR))
So what is year two of the pandemic going to look like in Africa? On this, everyone seems to agree: Busy.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, Johannesburg))
[GRETA]
AS VACCINATIONS RAMP UP ...
EXPERTS STUDYING COVID-19 ...
ARE TAKING …
WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED...
ABOUT THE VIRUS ...
TO MODEL ITS BEHAVIOR ...
IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS …
EVEN YEARS AHEAD.
JENNIE LAVINE (PRONO: LAH-VEEN) ...
IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCHER …
AT EMORY UNIVERSITY ...
IN ATLANTA.
I ASKED HER ABOUT ...
WHAT LIVING WITH COVID …
MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
[[STOP]]
[[SOT/LAVINE INTERVIEW]]
JL: Of course, there's a lot of unknowns because this is a new beast in the human population, but we do live with some of its very close relatives which are endemic coronaviruses. And so we've been looking to them to try to understand what this might look like, what covid-19 might look like when it becomes endemic So when it's no longer in this phase where we're having a giant outbreak where everyone, tons and tons of people are getting infected in a very short span of time. And and so we've been looking at these four human coronaviruses that circulate endemically and interestingly they just cause a mild cold in the vast majority of people. And so we've been trying to understand how does that relate to what is happening with this, you know, the massive hospitalizations and deaths with covid-19? And is it possible that that's what covid-19 will look like in the future.
GVS: Well, we've got a number of vaccines and we seem to be marching forward to trying to get this behind us. We've got a huge road ahead of us and everyone has some level or not everyone but a lot of people have some level of optimism. Is there something that you're a little bit concerned about Is there something sort of on your radar screen that worries you?
JL: Yeah, um, there is, think what we're seeing right now we're sort of starting to see the first evidence of what happens in populations where a lot of people have immunity. And so I think all of these sort of predictions that I've been talking that we've been talking about in the past few minutes. Many of which are fairly optimistic, that maybe this could just turn into another common cold, which would be fantastic and does seem plausible. It really relies on the idea that one or two infections or one or two doses of vaccine will lead to really long-lasting disease reducing immunity. It doesn't have to have such strong immunity that it blocks transmission, but it does really have to reduce disease for a long time.
GVS: Is there any explanation as to why If you even know is that why children at least right now seem less likely to get covered? Is there any explanation for that?
JL: They’re, really we don't know, it seems like they may be somewhat less likely to get it and it's very clear that if they get it there way less likely to get a severe case, which is really promising in the long term. But we don't know why. We really just don't know. It's one of those mysteries There's a group in New York City who look at age effects of an on the immune system and how how different aged people respond to these viruses and they're doing some work to try to figure it out, but we don't know.
GVS: It's so easy to look at things with 20 20 and the world looks at sars-cov-2. And we now see the devastating effect of it, should we have seen it coming so that we could have headed headed it off more at the pass instead of, you know, basically making it easier to spread around the world? And is there a covid three on the horizon? I mean, do you fear one?
JL: I think we're learning a lot of lessons about pandemic preparedness right now, I think, but there are characteristics of sars-cov-2 of covid-19 that are different and made it harder for the world to contain it than SARS cov one. And a lot of that has to do with what we were talking about before of how transmissible it is.That said, the. There are countries that have done a really really good job of containing it. And in containing it, they not only prevented infections and hospitalizations and deaths in their country, they gave the virus a little bit less room to develop these variants before we could get vaccines out. So I think it it's the hard bug and it would have been hard under any circumstances. I also think that I hope that the world as a as a global community we've learned some lessons about the importance of of early containment.
GVS: Do you want to go out on a limb and sort of guess when we can predict when we can get back to normal? Is that an impossibility?
JL: I think, if the dose or two of a vaccine or an infection or two prevent severe disease, even if it allows for transmission like we are just talking about, if it prevents severe disease for a long time, then, six months to a year from now, once almost everyone has had either a vaccination or a first infection.
I think that we could likely get back to something resembling normal life whatever that is.
GVS: Well that sounds like a little light at the end of the tunnel. And thank you very much for joining me.
JL: Yeah absolutely. My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
Iran recorded its first coronavirus infections in February 2020 – one of the first outbreaks outside China. Within days it had become a global epicenter. Government figures suggest 60,000 people have died since the outbreak began - but the true number is likely far higher. Critics say early mistakes by the government cost lives.
((Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies))
“You saw them first deny it, then downplay it. The challenge is that the health and welfare of its own people is not priority number one. And when you’re facing a global pandemic, that means your citizens are going to bear the brunt of it.
By the time the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11, the outbreak had spread across the Middle East.
In Yemen and Syria – countries racked by deep-rooted conflicts - the pandemic compounded the pressure on fragile health systems. In May, the United Nations warned that the Yemeni health system had collapsed.
((Dabwan Al-Makhlafi, Taiz Cemetery Worker (in Arabic) ))
“When there was a spike in deaths because of the coronavirus and other diseases, the workers were not able to keep up with the digging, the burial and finishing of the graves.”
The festival of Eid al-Fitr in May, the end of Ramadan, was marked with somber, socially distanced worship across the Muslim world.
In Lebanon, economic and political crises compounded by the pandemic – and exacerbated by the August explosion in Beirut port – pushed the country to the brink.
By September there were worsening outbreaks in several refugee camps in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
As third waves of the pandemic gripped Europe, the United States and Latin America at the end of 2020, the Middle East fared better than many feared. But the World Health Organization warns the situation remains precarious.
((Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean (in Arabic) ))
“In our region, where people and healthcare institutions suffer constantly with war, natural disasters and diseases, this virus has demanded all our efforts.”
That effort is now being directed toward vaccinations. Israel has rolled out the fastest mass vaccination program in the world. Over half the population has received a first dose.
((Doctor Peter Drobac, University of Oxford))
“Number one they did some things right in terms of purchasing agreements and getting early access to the vaccines. But really this is all about operations and organization.”
Vaccination rates vary sharply across the Middle East. In the occupied West Bank and Gaza, vaccination rates lag far behind those in Israel. The United Nations says Israel should provide vaccines; the Israeli government says health care is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority.
Many countries in the region are using Chinese and Russian-made vaccines - and are hoping to benefit from the global COVAX facility which provides vaccines to poorer nations.
The danger is not over. The World Health Organization says new strains of the virus are circulating in the region - which could be more infectious and resistant to vaccines.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News.))
[[GRETA]]
LOCKDOWN ORDERS …
AND SOCIAL DISTANCING …
CREATED A SUDDEN SHIFT …
IN THE WORLD’S WORK HABITS.
WHILE MANY ESSENTIAL WORKERS …
HAD TO REPORT TO WORKPLACES …
OTHERS WERE ABLE …
TO WORK FROM HOME ...
WITH THE FREEDOM …
TO CHOOSE WHERE …
TO LIVE AND WORK.
KEITH KOCINSKI (PRONO: KOH-SIN-SKEE)
REPORTS FROM NEW YORK CITY.
[[STOP]]
[[KOCINSKI PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
Ancram, New York - a small farming town of about 15-hundred people – two hours north of New York City.
((Nat sound of fireplace))
Ancram may not be the first place one would expect to find international supermodel Saskia de Brauw, Dutch photographer and filmmaker Vincent van de Wijngaard, and their four-year-old daughter, Luna. But....
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
“Life is pretty good here. There is space. You get great produce, so the quality of life is quite amazing.”
It’s not where they expected to be - and it’s a stark contrast from their apartment in Brooklyn, New York.
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
“It was a great life. We had everything well organized. My daughter went to school not too far away and there were friends to see and just a lovely neighborhood.”
((NARRATOR))
The coronavirus pandemic changed that.
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
“We thought it would be all quickly a thing of the past and it wasn’t.”
As the infection spread through New York and the family was confined to their apartment, they looked beyond the city...
and bought this small home in this rural part of the state before they had even seen it in person.
((Jamyl Harrison, Real Estate Agent, Compass, NY))
“We did notice a large body of New Yorkers take this opportunity to find solitude in another area where they had space, where they weren’t on top of other people so they could at least protect themselves and their families.
((NARRATOR))
At the same time, home prices in New York City dropped by 15 to 20 percent because of the pandemic, allowing people with lower income levels to move into some of the most affluent Manhattan neighborhoods.
((Sam Chandan - NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate))
((Mandatory cg: Skype))
“Rents have come down in a way that has actually eased some of the affordability crisis.”
((NARRATOR))
The average salary in those high-end neighborhoods has dropped from $140,000 to $82,000 and economists say the income of the new arrivals is around 40 percent less than those who are leaving the city.
Yet many expect residents will return to New York and other cities as the pandemic wanes, lured by the lower prices.
((Sam Chandan - NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate))
“While the balance has shifted somewhat, to describe it as an urban exodus is clearly an exaggeration.”
Real estate agents say the availability of COVID vaccines is already having an impact on the housing market.
((Jamyl Harrison, Real Estate Agent, Compass NY))
“I’m noticing people are ready to come back to New York. They are seeing this as an opportunity. Those that are in the position, in the buyer’s position, are grabbing a really good deal right now.”
While Vincent and Saskia are not yet ready to give up living in the country, they are also feeling the pull of Brooklyn.
((Vincent van de Wijngaard, Photographer & Filmmaker))
"We feel the city has something very special to offer and I think after six months being upstate, we kind of started missing it."
((Keith Kocinski, for VOA News, Ancram, New York))
[[GRETA]]
SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS …
HAVE BEEN DESCRIBING …
COVID-19 …
AS A NOVEL CORONAVIRUS …
“NOVEL” MEANING …
THAT IT IS NEW …
ATTACKING PEOPLE …
IN WAYS NEVER SEEN BEFORE ...
FROM A CORONAVIRUS.
VOA HEALTH CORRESPONDENT …
CAROL PEARSON …
EXPLAINS WHAT MEDICAL EXPERTS …
HAVE DISCOVERED …
AND ARE STILL MYSTIFIED ABOUT …
IN THE PANDEMIC YEAR.
[[STOP]]
[[PEARSON PKG]]
It’s the second time a coronavirus has sickened people and caused death. SARS first appeared in China in November 2002. The current version of the virus emerged from China in 2019, which is why it is called COVID-19.
The virus invades the lungs. Once there, it multiplies and neutralizes the molecules that help us fight infection.
Most people recover, but the virus can damage the lungs and leave patients gasping for air.
Thomas Steele needed a double lung transplant because of COVID.
((Thomas Steele, COVID-19 survivor))
“It’s nothing like sitting in your hospital room gasping for every breath and air you take, and I did that for 58 days.”
((NARRATOR))
The lungs pass oxygen into the bloodstream, and the virus can damage the lungs and make the oxygen levels fall.
((patient on ventilator))
Patients may need to be put on a ventilator to help them breathe.
COVID-19 can also cause dangerous clotting in the bloodstream. People who already have damaged blood vessels, from high blood pressure or stroke, and those with heart disease have a higher risk of serious disease.
These clots can form throughout the body, including in the lungs and the heart. The clotting can cause heart attack or stroke.
((((COVIDHeartDamageTX))
Dr. Allen Anderson is one of many cardiologists who saw people with healthy hearts suffer heart damage.
((Dr. Allen Anderson, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio)((Mandatory cg: COVIDHeartDamageTX))
“They had elevations of blood enzyme markers that were consistent with a heart attack even though they didn’t have any blockages in their coronary arteries, they had heart rhythm disturbances, and this occurred with quite high provenance.”
((Mandatory cg: YouTube))
The virus and the inflammation that accompanies it, can damage the heart tissue. Some of the damage can be reversed. But some cannot.
((END COURTESY))
Doctors have also learned that the virus can damage another vital organ — the kidneys. A large New York medical system looked at more than 5,000 COVID patients last year. Their findings?
((Dr. Kenar Jhaveri, Hofstra/Northwell Hospital))
“Of the 5,449 patients, 36.6% of them developed acute renal failure or kidney injury. Of the ones that got kidney injury, 14% required dialysis.”
((NARRATOR))
Scientists are still studying the impact of COVID-19 on the body. But the most severe effects start with the lungs. Damaged lungs have a harder time getting oxygen to the bloodstream. And organs need oxygen to function. If there is none, they can fail … the lungs, the heart, the kidneys and the liver.
And then there are long-term consequences of the disease. Some are not life-threatening but can affect the quality of life.
Symptoms include persistent fatigue, headache, shortness of breath or chest pain. Others may experience brain fog or memory issues. And still others have lingering feelings of anxiety and depression.
Anyone, not just those who were hospitalized, can have long-term symptoms. And there’s no way to tell who will be affected.
((Dr. Kristin Englund, Cleveland Clinic))
“We don’t really know right now how many patients will develop these long-COVID symptoms after they have had this infection. Studies look at anywhere between 10% and 80%, so there could be a large number of people who are experiencing symptoms well after that four-week time period when we expect people to normally recover.”
((NARRATOR))
Some medical centers have started special clinics to treat the long-haulers, people whose symptoms persist even after they have recovered from COVID. Others may not be long-haulers, but their lives have changed drastically because of COVID-19.
((Thomas Steele, recovered from COVID-19))
“I’ll never be the same person for the rest of my life.”
((NARRATOR))
He is one of many who will never be the same because of COVID-19.
((Carol Pearson, VOA News))
[[GRETA]]
THAT’S ALL THE TIME …
WE HAVE FOR NOW.
THANKS TO MY GUEST…
INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT ...
JENNIE LAVINE ((LAH-VEEN))
STAY UP TO DATE …
ON THE COVID PANDEMIC …
AND THE LATEST NEWS …
AT VOANEWS.COM
AND FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
AT GRETA.
THANKS FOR BEING …
PLUGGED IN.
[[STOP]]
