The Current for Nov. 10, 2020

Today on The Current:

Early data from Pfizer indicating its COVID-19 vaccine is 90-per-cent effective is giving millions of people hope. But some warn there are still many challenges ahead before a vaccine becomes available. To break down the issue, we're joined by Helen Branswell, an infectious disease and global health reporter; Rebecca McKillican, CEO at drug wholesaler McKesson Canada; and Dr. Caroline Quach, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Then, Canadians have become more reliant than ever on the internet to stay connected, continue their education, and work from home during the pandemic. And while some of us may take high-speed wi-fi for granted, many Canadians in rural and remote areas of this country are still struggling to connect at all. In the wake of the federal government's promise on Monday to connect 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026, we speak with McGill student Andrea Brazeau, who had to move from Nunavik to Montreal amid the pandemic because she couldn't connect to Zoom and email from home. We also hear from Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef, and Helen Hambly, who leads the Regional and Rural Broadband project at the University of Guelph.

Plus, American writer Don DeLillo has shown an uncanny ability to capture the anxiety of the moment. We speak with him about his new bookThe Silence, which imagines the unsettling prospect of our screens suddenly going dark.

Full Episode Transcript