8 Top Scientific, Medical, and Culture Podcasts to Help You Stay Informed on the Latest Coronavirus Updates

With most of the country on some form of shelter-in-place, it’s left millions of minds left to their own devices for entertainment.

This means lots of scrolling through coronavirus headlines.

While it’s important to stay up-to-date and aware of the pandemic situation, too much opinion mixed with faulty information will increase anxieties, spur depressive spirals, and cause stress, which adversely affects our overall health. Blaring “grab me” headlines mixed with uneducated and uninformed opinion may make the time go by faster, but it’s also doing a number to your psyche.

Alright, what is an isolated, bored person to do?

Curate your coronavirus news intake by choosing a podcast.

Not only can you find a trustworthy podcast on any Coronavirus angle  — whether you’re looking for purely scientific facts, a political overview, global journalism, or a medical take — but you can plugin for a specific allotted time and then be done with your news intake for the day.

Here are a few Coronavirus-specific podcasts to get you started!

1. The Drive

The Drive/peterattiamd.com/podcast/

If you’ve ever felt annoyed by the watered-down medical and scientific podcasts, then The Drive may be the perfect match for you!

When it comes to this podcast, it starts with the amazingly informed creator and host, Peter Attia, M.D. Attia is a medical doctor who “earned his M.D. from Stanford University,” holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics, and is the “founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice that focuses on the “applied science of longevity.”

While The Drive normally hosts a variety of guests to talk about everything under the “longevity” and “human health” moon, if you’re looking for COVID-19 information, this podcast has become a one-stop-shop of accurate, curated, and need-to-know information from mental health specialists to epidemiologists. Recently, Attia hosted Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. — the Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine Baylor College of Medicine — as well as Sam Harris, Ph.D., — a neuroscientist and author — and Michael Osterholm, Ph.D. — the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and author of Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs.

2. Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Miniseries

Mayo Clinic Talks Podcast COVID-19 Miniseries/ce.mayo.edu/online-education/content/mayo-clinic-talks-podcast-covid-19-miniseries

The Mayo Clinic is one of the top-ranked and most well-respected hospitals and research facilities in the states. In fact, the “U.S. News & World Report has again recognized Mayo clinic as the No. 1 hospital overall and top ranked in twelve specialties.”

In light of the coronavirus outbreak, the May Clinic has published a free-access COVID-19 miniseries podcast called Mayo Clinic Talks COVID-19 Miniseries. Technically created for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, this podcast miniseries is a great place to get up-to-date information that isn’t sugar-coated.

With that said, having a slight medical background is a bit helpful with terminology!

This podcast has 9 episodes ranging from a download on the virus itself to preparing for a pandemic to the most recent episode talking about the use of ibuprofen.

3. America Dissected: Coronavirus by Crooked Media

America Dissected: Coronavirus/crooked.com/podcast-series/america-dissected

Looking for at a more political take on the whole pandemic?

America Dissected: Coronavirus by Crooked Media hits all the spots. Not only does this podcast take a look at how we got to this point and why, but it also takes a look at the future and what we can do to move forward. Hosted by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, — a “physician and former city health commissioner — America Dissected: Coronavirus by Crooked Media aims to “keep you updated on what you need to know about COVID-19, what led us to this crisis in the first place, and what policies can lead us out.”

Current episodes include Open for Business: Toilet Paper and Disaster Capitalism, All the Lonely People, Where Do They Belong?, Pharmageddon, and The Anti-Anti-Vax-Vaccine with new episodes available every Tuesday and Friday.

4. Coronavirus Daily by NPR

Coronavirus Daily: NPR/www.npr.org/podcasts/510355/coronavirusdaily

NPR — National Public Radio — is one of the most well-loved and trusted news sources in the country. This independent, nonprofit media organization has accumulated 27.4 on-air listeners, has over 1,000 broadcasting stations, and is an international institution with 34 bureaus worldwide.

In order to fully cover the coronavirus outbreak, NPR has created a COVID-19 specific podcast called Coronavirus Daily. As the name implies, this is a daily podcast — hosted by NPR journalist Kelly McEvers — that covers “all dimensions of the story from science to economics and politics as well as society and culture.” Available every weekday afternoon, the podcast includes “stories and interviews from NPR’s Science, International, National, Business, and Washington reporting teams, as well as station reporters, and the crews at Morning Editions and All Things Considered.”

What sets this podcast apart from the rest?

It’s only 10 minutes in length!

Recent episodes include Ventilator Shortages; 6.6 Million New Unemployment Claims, The Mask Debate; Preventing More New York-Sized Clusters, and Social Distancing Extended; Grocery Store Tips.

If you’re looking for the ultimate, daily, one-stop, quick download of what’s happening with the pandemic then Coronavirus Daily is a great option.  

5. Coronavirus Global Update by the BBC

Coronavirus Global Update by the BBC/www.bbc.co.uk/programmes

Even though experiencing this pandemic may cause our brains to go insular, it’s important to remember that this is a pandemic, which refers to a global outbreak.

If you’re looking to stick with the international news then log into the Coronavirus Global Update by the BBC. The BBC prides itself on being an “impartial and independent” news outlet that creates distinctive, “world-class programmes and content which inform, educate and entertain millions of people in the UK and around the world.”

Another daily podcast, these episodes provide world-wide coverage of the “spread of the coronavirus, with reports from affected areas, details of the latest medical information and the impact on health, business, and travel.”

Recent episodes include global coverage including Confirmed Global Cases Pass One Million, Spain Passes Ten Thousand Coronavirus Deaths, Hospitals Say US Running Out of Medical Supplies, and Italy’s Daily Death Toll at Lowest Level for Six Days.

6. Coronavirus Special by New Scientist Weekly

NewScientist/www.newscientist.com/podcasts

In these times of faux information, sourcing from a scientific outlet is always a great go-to. Created by the New Scientist Magazine, the Coronavirus Special podcast takes you down the pandemic rabbit hole with a keen eye towards the scientific side of things.

Founded in 1956, New Scientist Magazine is the “world’s most popular weekly science and technology magazine,” which covers international news “from a scientific standpoint, and [asks] the biggest-picture questions about life, the universe and what it means to be human.”

With multiple coronavirus-related podcast episodes, the Coronavirus Special seeks to “answer some of the most pressing questions about COVID-19” by interviewing New Scientist journalists Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, and Graham Lawton. This special covers topics including “when you are likely to be at the peak of infection, whether it is possible to be infected twice, and why the coronavirus doesn’t seem to be affected much by heat and humidity,” as well as “tips for maintaining a healthy mental state during lockdown.”

What’s so unique about this podcast?

It’s not only centered around the science of the pandemic but each episode also includes non-pandemic-related news in the science world, providing a more balanced download of the world for those looking to not overdo the coronavirus news.

Other New Scientist podcasts episodes include Coronavirus Questions Answered; Revolution in Human Evolution; Mind-Reading Computers, Coronavirus Lockdown – how to flatten the curve, reset the immune system, and the world’s most hardcore mammal, and Coronavirus vaccine; neutrinos in the early universe, and organ transplants.

7. Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction

Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction/vulture.com/article/coronavirus-podcasts.html

Created by the highly acclaimed and well-known news outlet CNN, Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction is a perfect, quick download of the most up-to-date pandemic information.

Hosted by CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta —  a practicing neurosurgeon with a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School — this podcast focuses on not only providing updated information on the outbreak, but Gupta also helps to “make sense of headlines, [speaks] with the experts and [gives] you all the information you need to stay safe and healthy.”

Recent episodes including Astronaut Scott Kelly on How to Survive Isolation, Checking in with Dr. Fauci, COVID-19 FAQ’s, and Pregnant During a Pandemic.

8. Nature, Podcast Extra: Coronavirus – Science in the Pandemic

Nature/www.nature.com

Nature is one of the best places to go if you’re looking for hard facts, significant discoveries, studies, reviews, critical comments, news, and analysis. They focus on promoting “findings that advance knowledge and address some of the greatest challenges that we face as a society today.” With nine million readers, Nature truly hones and curates its content to communicate the most significant scientific advances.

The special coronavirus podcast called Coronavirus – Science in the Pandemic is hosted by journalist Nick Howe and includes interviews with “epidemiologists, genomicists and social scientists about how they’re working to tackle the coronavirus and what they’ve learned so far.”

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