U of T launches podcast focusing on COVID-19 public health challenges and next steps

A new podcast hosted by the University of Toronto’s Vivek Goel offers timely and reliable information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We want this podcast to be an informed source people can go to in order to hear about what’s next for the pandemic,” says Goel, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. 

“Our goal is to help make sense of the complex and often conflicting messages about COVID-19 that are bombarding Canadians.”

Goel, a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, is a renowned public health expert and founding head of Public Health Ontario, which was set up in response to the SARS outbreak. 

In the first episode, Goel looks at social distancing, what “flattening the curve” means and what measures can be taken to prepare our health-care system to help protect the most vulnerable and develop wider public immunity to the virus.

“Flattening the curve does not stop the disease altogether. What it means is that instead of having a huge surge of cases all at once, we spread them out more evenly so we don’t overwhelm the health-care system,” he says.

The bi-weekly podcast, created by a University of Toronto Communications team led by producer Lisa Lightbourn, will be available on the U of T homepage. The next episode looks at the crucial next steps that will be needed in order to overcome the pandemic.

Note: The information in this podcast is current as of the posting date. Listeners should consult their local public health agency for the latest information in their jurisdiction.

Read an op-ed by Vivek Goel about COVID-19 in the Globe and Mail