In the first episode of this trilogy of special podcasts, we asked the basic question, "What is a virus?" then delved into the characteristics of this most infectious of viruses. In this second episode we explore, with our guide, Professor John Potter from New Zealand, exactly what is a pandemic, whether we are actually in a "second wave" as the common parlance of journalists, medical authorities and politicians would have it, and examine the roles of medical experts intertwined with the imperatives our political leaders face as they try to combine, with decidedly mixed results, the best available science with clear, consistent public communications about the actualities of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, what we need to do to combat its predations and where this journey without a clear destination might be taking us, socially, economically a ...