Nine To Noon for Thursday 31 March 2022

 

 

09:05 Vulnerable patients prioritised for antiviral covid treatments

Doctors are warning new oral antiviral drugs, which have been dubbed a "game changer" when treating covid in vulnerable patients, will not be available to all who want them. The Government has secured 60,000 doses each of Molnupiravir, manufactured by Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Paxlovid, made by Pfizer. The first shipment of Paxlovid has arrived in the country and will be rolled out next week, but Molnupiravir is still undergoing Medsafe approval and isn't expected to arrive until sometime between April and June. Some District Health Boards are struggling to deal with the wave of Omicron cases, and the number of deaths have increased - could this treatment have come too late? And, are 120,000 doses enough to help those who need it the most? Dr Bryan Betty, Medical Director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and Pharmac's Chief Executive Sarah Fitt join Kathryn to discuss.

09:25 How much could new fuel storage investments cost us?

Process units at Marsden Point have now been shut down, marking an end to the refining operation at the plant. From tomorrow Refining NZ becomes Channel Infrastructure and the 60-year-old refinery becomes an import-only terminal for already-refined products - something critics say may have an impact on our fuel security. Energy Minister Megan Woods told Nine to Noon two weeks ago her advice was that it would not change the fundamentals of how we get fuel here - crude or refined - nor would it impact energy security. The refinery transition will though, prompt big changes to our fuel reserves - and Simon Terry from the Sustainability Council says it could see the need for a massive new investment in storage capacity. He tells Kathryn Ryan that's something that's likely to end up being passed on to motorists.

09:35 Nelson dentist breaking down barriers with refugee community

There are an estimated 2500 refugees in Nelson - mostly from Nepal, Myanmar and Colombia. Local dentist Dr Jacob Linn realised that many of the refugees he was treating at the local hospital dental department had little understanding of what was going on, due to language and cultural barriers. So he set about fixing it. He speaks with Kathryn Ryan.

09:45 UK: Partygate fines, free Covid testing ends, Ukraine scheme criticised

UK correspondent Harriet Line joins Kathryn to talk about Boris Johnson's insistence the Covid rules were followed, despite police fining 20 people who attended parties at Downing Street. Universal Covid-19 testing ends this week and stay at home guidance will change and the Homes for Ukraine scheme for refugees has only seen 2700 visas approved - with a waiting list of 28,300.

 

10:05 Road to nowhere no longer: Driving Transmission Gully

The first commuter rubber has hit the new motorway fast-tracking the Capital with the Kapiti Coast. Transmission Gully opened its brand new 27kms of tarmac quietly to traffic at quarter to three this morning, giving the first experience of driving the steep Wainui Saddle, which at 8% is the same gradient as Ngauranga Gorge, only twice as long. This is the first glimpse of a valley, now a road, that has been hidden behind hills from its predecessor SH1, all but inaccessible other than  to outdoor adventurers. Waka Kotahi says its taken a hundred years to build it, and is discouraging people from rushing out to give it a go. But, there was no stopping our Nine to Noon colleague Melanie Phipps, who's blue-toothed her phone and checks in with Kathryn Ryan from the Pauatahanui interchange.

10:10 Paralympian Corey Peters and his journey to gold

Corey Peters won gold in the Men's Downhill Sitting event at this year's Winter Paralympics in Beijing- only to win silver less than 24 hours later in the Men's Super-G Sitting event. This added to his collection of medals, having already won silver and bronze in the previous two winter games. The 38-year-old was also the flag bearer at this year's closing ceremony. His achievements at this years Winter Paralympics are particularly remarkable, given he has been unable to compete in a downhill event for two years due to the pandemic. 

10:35 Book review: The Pistils by Janet Charman

Chris Tse reviews The Pistils by Janet Charman, published by Otago University Press

10:45 The Reading

The Invisible Rider, part four. Story by Kirsten McDougall.

11:05 Tech: US eye on Russian cyber firm, teen hackers arrested

Cybersecurity expert Tony Grasso joins Kathryn to look at why Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has been added to the national security threat list by the FCC. He'll also talk about a Chinese threat actor known as Scarab that has been associated with a campaign against Ukraine, the seven teens arrested in the UK as part of cyber-crime gang Lapsus$ and US charges laid against Russian government employees over their hacks of critical energy infrastructure. 

11:25 How not to repeat the mistakes of your parents

How often do you hear your mum or dad’s words come out of your mouth when you talk to (or shout at) your kids? Words you swore you would never say to your own child. One of Australia's foremost parenting experts, Maggie Dent says no matter how many parenting books you read, the biggest influence on your parenting style will be your own upbringing. Maggie is the mother of four boys, a former teacher and counsellor and the author of multiple books. She is also the host of the ABC podcast Parental as Anything.

11:45 Film & TV: Bridgerton, The Duke, The Newsreader, Lady Boss

Film reviewer James Croot joins Kathryn to talk about the second season of Bridgerton (Netflix), The Duke (in cinemas), The Newsreader (ThreeGo) and Lady Boss (Rialto, rentals).

 

 

Music played in this show

Track: Shiny Happy People 
Artist: R.E.M
Time played: 9:45am 

Track: Loaded
Artist: Primal Scream 
Time played: 11:25am