The Current

The Current for Nov. 30, 2021

Today on The Current: Omicron variant drives calls for vaccine equity, waiving of patents; The Matter of Black Lives, and what Black Lives Matter means today; and checking in on Abbotsford, B.C., as rain continues to force residents from their homes
Matt Galloway is the host of CBC Radio's The Current. (CBC)

Full Episode Transcript

Today on The Current:

The emergence of the omicron coronavirus variant is sparking fresh calls for vaccine equity, including calls to temporarily waive patents around vaccine production. Pauline Worsfold, a registered nurse and a member of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, explains why waiving the patent will help ramp up vaccine production. We also talk about the big picture with Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Global CEO of Amref Health Africa; and Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, an epidemiologist and the director of ICAP, a global health centre at Columbia University.

Then, journalist, historian and New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb has co-edited a vast collection of writing from the magazine titled The Matter of Black Lives. He talks about James Baldwin's writing, the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and what Black Lives Matter means today.

And the downpour in B.C. continues, forcing some residents from their homes for the second time this month. Flooding has also devastated farmland that is the livelihood of many migrant workers who have come to Canada. We speak to some of those affected, and talk to Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun about bracing for further rainfall.