This is episode THREE in the #transitzone PANDEMIC PRIMER PODCAST series aimed at giving you more in-depth information about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It examines THE RESPONSE* to the coronavirus pandemic in New Zealand, Australia and around the world plus prospects for a vaccine, the elimination versus suppression, debate, the apparent illusion of “herd immunity”, the chronic health effects of covid and more about children, schools and the corona virus.As we publish this podcast, the USA is about to vote in its presidential and congressional elections. The pandemic, its widespread damage there and “what next?” sit at the centre of those elections.In the northern hemisphere, the infections are surging againand the absolute death toll grows even higher. The renewed waves of infection spread in the UK and USA and across Europe are especially dire but also in South America. In New Zealand, they recently had an outbreak on their North Island mainly around Auckland, which triggered another swift and stringent lockdown to recover their prior status as a largely corona virus free nation.In Australia, the state of Victoria is in the process of easing its severe lockdown restrictions including mandated facemasks after clawing back from over 700 new covid infections a day to about an average of five per day. But it is the detailed contexts around these numbers including the “mystery cases” that public health authorities are parsing intensively.Again, our guide for these Pandemic Primer Podcasts is Australian raised now New Zealand based epidemiologist Professor John Potter.John is Professor at the Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Wellington, as well as Professor and Senior Advisor, Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where he was Director of its Division of Public Health Sciences. He’s also Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology at the University of Washington. From 2016-2019, he was Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Ministry of Health. John is one of the most cited scientific authors in the world. And closely tracks global epidemiological research into the coronavirus.All three PANDEMIC PRIMER PODCASTS are now available for your listening. In total THREE hours of information rich audio journalism. We hope it adds to your understanding of the virus itself and the scope and reach of the pandemic and enriches your consumption of all the other information in general journalism, specialist scientific research and the inevitable polemics and propaganda abounding in our crowded mediascape.Prof John Potter Research: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=35380121900SPRINGER: https://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/campaigns/coronavirusNEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: https://www.nejm.org/coronavirusTHE LANCET:* https://www.thelancet.com/coronavirus*TRACKERS/DASHBOARDS:* https://www.statnews.com/feature/coronavirus/covid-19-tracker/*https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6In general but specialist journalism , the science writer at The Atlantic magazine, Ed Yong, has written some excellent articles. Reading his archive helps put the pandemic ia chronological perspective, at least in the United States.https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ed-yong/The magazine has also provided outside its usual paywall a large number of articles on the coronavirus pandemic.*https://www.theatlantic.com/category/what-you-need-know-coronavirus/