Welcome to Episode 5 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an internationally respected expert on pandemic response

COVID: What comes next - With Dr. Ashish Jha

In this installment, Jha discusses the continuing COVID surge, which is overwhelming hospitals across the U.S.; his Senate testimony last week in which he said there is no evidence demonstrating benefits from hydroxychloroquine, which the current presidential administration has trumpeted; and the welcome news Monday that the GSA is allowing President-elect Joe Biden and his team to begin the formal transition process, including plans to control the pandemic.

Jha also talks about the latest positive development to be reported: the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine, which was announced as 70 percent effective, a somewhat misleading figure, as Jha explains. The actual effectiveness, Jha says, is almost certainly higher. And the vaccine has certain advantages over Pfizer’s and Moderna’s, which are headed toward mid-December emergency use authorization reviews by the FDA and CDC which, if approved, will open the door to vaccinations, as early as Dec. 11 for healthcare workers, first responders and others at high risk of coronavirus disease.

In closing, the dean discusses the Thanksgiving holiday and what the nation might expect during the following days, given the high numbers of people who are travelling, despite CDC guidance not to. Like others, however, Jha will be staying home and he offers advice for safe – and outside -- socializing.

This weekly podcast is hosted by G. Wayne Miller, health reporter for The Providence Journal. It can be downloaded at