The Economist expands its science and data coverage with a series of new launches including The Jab from The Economist, a weekly podcast that unlocks the science, data and politics of the global vaccine rollout

LONDON, Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Economist, one of the world's most trusted sources of global news and analysis, is expanding its science and data journalism with the launch of a new weekly podcast, The Jab from The Economist, as well as a new covid mortality-risk calculator and two weekly newsletters.

The Jab is a 30-minute weekly podcast series that will include analysis of efforts to vaccinate the planet against covid-19 – arguably the biggest logistical challenge the world has ever faced. Over the course of the series its authoritative cast of experts will explore the global impact of the rollout of the vaccinations. Hosts will go beyond the headlines with The Economist's own brand of insight and unsparing analysis. Each episode will tackle a different theme, ranging from virology and vaccine manufacturing to geopolitics and vaccine hesitancy. Listen to the trailer here.

The podcast series is hosted by science correspondent Alok Jha and health-policy editor Natasha Loder, and supported by a team of four editors and producers. The show will launch on Monday, February 15th, and a new episode will air each subsequent Monday for an initial run of 12 weeks.

Anne McElvoy, senior editor at The Economist and head of Economist Radio, said: "In a worldwide pandemic we are more globally interdependent than ever. The Jab aims to help listeners keep up on vaccine development and rollout around the world, and will provide vital insight and analysis into their effectiveness as countries seek to overcome the pandemic together."

Bob Cohn, President of The Economist said, "Helping our audiences understand the global health and economic impact of the pandemic is a critical priority in 2021. We'll do that with our trademark analysis and rigor not only in familiar formats, but also with this new podcast, The Jab, and through investments in our trademark data journalism."

As part of its health and science expansion, The Economist is also launching a covid-19 mortality risk-calculator later in February. Developed in consultation with experts from academia and industry, the covid-19 mortality-risk calculator will enable users to calculate their own risk of covid-19 hospitalisation or death based on demographic factors and underlying health conditions. The probabilities are based on data sourced from hundreds of thousands of covid-19 patients and their outcomes.

The Economist will also launch two new email newsletters this month. On February 16th the data team will launch Off the Charts, which will bring the best of The Economist's data journalism, as well as insights into how the data team works, straight to readers' inboxes. The following day the science team will launch Simply Science, a weekly newsletter showcasing that week's science journalism in the weekly edition and online, in podcasts and on film. 

The Jab sits alongside The Economist's flagship daily show, The Intelligence, and other weekly shows including Checks and Balance and The Economist Asks, which combined have approximately 3 million unique podcast listeners and 25 million downloads per month. Economist podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Acast or https://www.economist.com/podcasts/.

About The Economist (Economist.com)
With a growing global audience and a trusted reputation for insightful analysis, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised sources covering current affairs in the world. In addition to the weekly digital and print editions and website, The Economist publishes Espresso, a daily news app, and Global Business Review, a bilingual English-Chinese product.. The Economist produces several podcasts each week and short- and long-form video. The Economist maintains robust social communities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks. A recipient of many editorial and marketing awards, The Economist was named the most trusted news source by the 2017 Trusting News Project Report.

SOURCE The Economist

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