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Indian variant could worsen the Covid-19 pandemic

The variant has been identified in various hotspots in the UK where the government has warned its spread could seriously disrupt the full opening up of the economy.

The World Health Organization has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic's second year is on track to be "far more deadly" than the first. As the spread of the disease in India shows little sign of slowing there are increasing concerns that the so-called Indian variant could prove to be a key factor. We hear from Dr Julian Tang a Consultant Virologist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. Hong Kong is also trying to cope with a sudden rise in coronavirus cases, some of them involving the Indian variant. We hear from Dr Keiji Fukuda, the Hong KongΒ  government's Covid 19 advisor. The Bank of England chief economist, Andy Haldane, has suggested there could be inflation in store, as the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Victoria Craig reports. And in the US, inflation is also a concern as we hear from economist Chris Low of FHN Financial. Plus, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Lucy Burton Plus examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on church finances around the world. And we hear from Jamiah Hargins, an entrepreneur in Los Angeles who's trying to get urban dwellers to start up micro-farms in small gardens and spaces in city settings. Plus, one of the signs that normality really has returned will be once we start to go out to things like the theatre. There are signs on Broadway that day may be approaching, as Kai Ryssdal from our sister programme Marketplace, explains. And we're joined throughout the programme by Sarah Knight from ABC in Perth, Australia. (Picture of coronavirus via Getty Images).

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53 minutes

Last on

Sat 15 May 2021 00:06GMT

Broadcast

  • Sat 15 May 2021 00:06GMT

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