Keep Talking Episode 27: Donald G. McNeil, Jr. - Reporting COVID-19
Donald G. McNeil, Jr. is an author, a journalist, and was one of the earliest and leading New York times science reporters to alert the world about the outbreak of COVID-19. During our conversation, Donald talks about his early career, learning about a "Pneumonia-like" new virus in Wuhan, what the U.S. could have done differently to decrease deaths from COVID, the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines, and what the U.S. might do to better prepare for future pandemics.
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(00:00) Intro
(00:45) Get to know Donald G. McNeil Jr.
(01:28) Donald’s path to science journalism
(09:01) Donald’s background in human biology and science and how they came in handy when covering medical cases
(22:24) The factors that added to Donald’s concern about the coronavirus during its first outbreak, including high fatality and transmissibility rates
(24:48) Sensing the severity of the coronavirus and the events that followed
(30:38) What is meant by a pandemic?
(54:10) Vaccine specifics and Donald’s initial judgment in the aftermath of the pandemic
(01:04:32) Addressing people choosing not to get vaccinated
(01:11:10) The efficacy of COVID vaccines and why they’re safe
(01:26:24) Vaccine mandates in the U.S. for employees and children
(01:32:40) The Supreme Court’s precedence mandating vaccination
(01:34:15) The origin of COVID-19
(01:45:30) Preparing for future pandemics