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Health Check: The maths of coronavirus

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Programming code with matrix and abstract technical background

2020/03/04 GMT

The maths of coronavirus

BBC World Service - Health Check, The maths of coronavirus

Coronavirus in the US, the maths of epidemics, and coughs that last for years and years

Testing for Covid-19; the maths of epidemics and chronic coughs that last for years and the new drug that could help.

Claudia Hammond hears the latest from the US who have so far lagged behind other countries in testing for coronavirus. She also talks to mathematician Dr Hannah Fry about how numbers are playing such an important part in the fight against Covid-19. Finally, she talks to cough expert professor Jacky Smith at the University of Manchester, about the issue of chronic cough. For some people, coughs with no obvious cause, can go on for years and severely disrupt lives. However, a new drug that has just been trialled has shown promising results, as Claudia discovers. 

Claudia is joined in the studio by family physician Dr Ann Robinson for her take on all the above.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Alexandra Feachem

(Image: Programming code with matrix and abstract technical background. Photo credit: Gopixa/Getty Images)

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