With no end in sight to Australia's current lockdowns and restrictions, it seems some of our political leaders are trying to shift our focus away from daily case numbers, and concentrate more on vaccination rates and what 'living with Covid' might look like.

But what about states like WA and Queensland where no serious outbreaks have occurred for a long time, are they living in a fantasy that they can stay Covid-free forever, or should the rest of the country be trying to get back to zero cases?

The Quicky speaks to an epidemiologist, a political reporter, and a public policy expert to find out whether eliminating Covid-19 is possible or just political spin, and what life might be like if this virus simply never goes away.

CREDITS 

Host/Producer: Claire Murphy

Executive Producer: Siobhán Moran-McFarlane

Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri

Guests:

Dr Meru Sheel - Global health researcher and an infectious diseases epidemiologist with expertise in public health emergencies, emerging infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases, based at the Australian National University in Canberra

Jane Norman - Federal political reporter based in the ABC's Parliament House bureau

Tim Soutphommasane - Professor of Practice (Sociology and Political Theory), and Director, Culture Strategy at the University of Sydney

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Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.