Episodios

  • Inside Covid-19: Deep insights on pandemic, with Discovery Life CEO Riaan van Reenen, J&J CEO Alex Gorsky

    Inside Covid-19: Deep insights on pandemic, with Discovery Life CEO Riaan van Reenen, J&J CEO Alex Gorsky
    Mar 5 2021
    South Africa was the first country to roll out the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Earlier this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said 80,000 J&J vaccines have arrived as the mass vaccination programme gets underway. The single-dose vaccine has shown to be effective in preventing moderate and severe disease from South Africa's dominant coronavirus variant with an efficacy of 57% in trials conducted in South Africa. We hear from Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky about the J&J vaccine which has been cleared by regulators in the US and is working on ramping up production to boost global supplies. Also coming up, we hear fascinating insights on the pandemic from the inside of Discovery Life, with CEO Riaan van Reenen. He shares what Discovery's data on claims tells us about the real rate of Covid-19 and what the Life assurer's actuaries have forecast if there is a third wave at Easter. MUST LISTEN!
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  • Inside Covid-19: Meet two remarkable women in the spotlight for putting people first

    Inside Covid-19: Meet two remarkable women in the spotlight for putting people first
    Dec 3 2020
    In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we look at two SA success stories as the world fights the biggest global health crisis in living memory. BizNews journalist Linda van Tilburg looks at an entrepreneurial Cape company that has developed a rapid Covid-19 test from a cousin of the tobacco plant. The company is one of five companies attracting investment from the University Technology Fund, a South African fund aimed at commercialising technologies and innovations developed n the country. We speak to Cape Bio Pharms founder, Belinda Shaw. Also coming up on this programme, we hear from Ruth Lewin, Discovery’s head of Corporate Sustainability. Ruth has been appointed to lead the International Association of Volunteer Effort, a global organisation based in the US. We speak to her about this prestigious role and what it means for volunteer work in SA and Africa. Also coming up, we hear about the Covid Resilience Ranking - an index that puts SA at 35 on a list of 53.
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  • Making SA proud: Discovery's Ruth Lewin heads up global organisation IAVE

    Making SA proud: Discovery's Ruth Lewin heads up global organisation IAVE
    Dec 1 2020
    Born into a philanthropic family, Ruth Lewin fondly remembers collecting money for the blind - one of her parents many charitable endeavours. It would come as no surprise that Discovery's Head of Corporate Sustainability was recently appointed to the respected position of world president of the global volunteerism body, at the International Association of Volunteer Effort (IAVE). Lewin told BizNews editor Jackie Cameron about this exciting new role, what it means for Discovery and how her significant career of helping others - which included a stint as regional manager for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - led her to her latest challenge.
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  • Inside Covid-19: Vaccine race; SA’s PANDA goes global; pandemic damages, scars minds

    Inside Covid-19: Vaccine race; SA’s PANDA goes global; pandemic damages, scars minds
    Nov 20 2020
    In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we look at whether pharmaceutical companies can make enough Covid vaccines. We also pick up with actuary Nick Hudson, who shares how SA-grown Panda has transformed into a global organisation, with the experts behind the Great Barrington Declaration on their advisory board. Panda is fiercely opposed to strict lockdowns. Also signalling the alarm about lockdowns is US psychology professor Leonard Jason, who has co-authored a paper on long Covid - and shares how depression is a significant feature of a pandemic, for those living through it as well as people who contract the disease. Plus, the latest Covid-19 developments making world headlines.
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  • Inside Covid-19: Lockdowns are the biggest health policy mistake in living memory - Great Barrington Declaration founder

    Inside Covid-19: Lockdowns are the biggest health policy mistake in living memory - Great Barrington Declaration founder
    Nov 11 2020
    In this episode of inside Covid-19, we have two special interviews for you - with medical experts of global standing. First up, we speak to Dr Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University. Dr Bhattacharya is one of the driving forces behind the Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for a rethink on lockdowns and an ‘intelligent’ approach to protecting the vulnerable. He has taken a lot of flak from government advisors and others, but is pursuing his commitment to Focused Protection because his conscience won’t allow him to do otherwise. Dr Battacharya’s message resonates with South Africa’s business leaders. B4SA this week urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to resist the temptation to tighten up lockdown restrictions to save SA from further economic destruction - which ultimately will lead to more hardship. And, BizNews spoke to Professor Shabir Madhi, a highly respected Vaccinology expert, at the Witwatersrand University on the latest developments in the race to vaccinate SA against Covid-19. We also hear from Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Discovery Health’s head of Clinical Policy, about how the company is helping its members prepare for vaccine delivery - expected in South Africa next year.
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  • Inside Covid-19: Great Barrington Declaration - good or bad idea? Can vaccines save us? Discovery Vitality points

    Inside Covid-19: Great Barrington Declaration - good or bad idea? Can vaccines save us? Discovery Vitality points
    Nov 3 2020
    Resources are being thrown at vaccine development, as it is seen as saving the world from the pandemic that has brought economic engines across much of the world to a standstill. We hear from our partners at Bloomberg why the obsession with vaccines may be a bad strategy. We also have an update on herd immunity and the growing movement for an alternative to lockdowns, the Great Barrington Declaration. We pick up with leading South African health policy expert Professor Alan Whiteside, for a look at where the world is in the fight against Covid-19. And, Discovery Vitality shares how it has awarded extra points to its members to compensate for the challenges of leading a healthy life in the era of Covid-19. - Jackie Cameron
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  • Inside Covid-19: Unbearable pain - hunger, poverty, food parcel corruption; hunting for a cure. Ep 85

    Inside Covid-19: Unbearable pain - hunger, poverty, food parcel corruption; hunting for a cure. Ep 85
    Sep 15 2020
    In this episode, the driving force behind a charity that is feeding 100,000 desperately hungry people in deep rural areas puts the human face on the devastation Covid-19 lockdown has caused. Johannesburg-based Marilyn Bassin of the NGO Boikanyo – The Dion Herson Foundation, tells how a chain of about 35 NGOs is getting food parcels to people who are relying on a few tablespoons of porridge a day - and how many families don't eat for days. And, a leading sociologist Professor David Dickinson of the University of the Witwatersrand provides the macro picture of how life has changed dramatically for the worse for many people in cities too. - Jackie Cameron
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  • Inside Covid-19: Could exposure to cold virus explain low SA death rate? Vaccines, child deaths. Ep 84

    Inside Covid-19: Could exposure to cold virus explain low SA death rate? Vaccines, child deaths. Ep 84
    Sep 14 2020
    In this episode, we hear about what driving patterns tell us about the impact of Covid-19 on the South African economy. Discovery Insure’s Head of Technical Marketing and Vitality Drive engagement, Precious Nduli, speaks to BizNews founder Alec Hogg about the effects of the national lockdown on behaviour, and how this evolved as the country began to re-open. As South African experts explore why death rates may not be as high in the country as elsewhere, an international expert speaks to BizNews about t-cells, which may account for higher immunity in township communities. Immunologist Dr Daniela Weiskopf of the Jolla Institute for Immunology speaks to BizNews reporter Linda van Tilburg about whether immunity is more prevalent in poorer, more crowded communities - and why this might be the case. - Jackie Cameron
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