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Florida teen starts podcast to educate young people on COVID-19

Every week, 15-year-old Faizan Zaidi is asking important questions and shares answers with others as part of a new podcast called “Infectious: Your Guide to Life."

TAMPA, Fla. — Florida teenagers have seen their classes canceled and social events postponed.   But when it comes to medical concerns, many young people don’t seem too informed on the latest information.

Now a Florida teen is trying to change that.  Every week, 15-year-old Faizan Zaidi is asking important questions sharing what he learns with others as part of a new podcast called “Infectious: Your Guide to Life During the Coronavirus.”

When coronavirus first hit, Zaidi says he found himself bored at home and wondering how he could help.

“I looked into making masks and stuff but then I kind of looked for a problem that hadn’t gotten that much attention that I could put my focus into,” says Zaidi.

After noticing friends not taking safety precautions like mask wearing seriously, he decided to create a podcast aiming to arm young people with information.

“They think they’re not going to get hurt,” said Zaidi who goes by “Faz” in his podcasts.  “They don’t really understand why you have to wear a mask it’s not just about you it’s about others.”

Last week’s podcast focused on the return to school where he interviewed a school administrator about how the decision to delay classes was made and how the school plans to keep students safe.

Many of Zaidi’s classmates submitted questions about the upcoming school year.

“They didn’t know what was going on and they were kind of scared of what they were going to have to deal with.”

But he’s not just interviewing other teens and teachers.  He’s also reached out to some of the nation’s top COVID experts including a New York ER doctor on the front lines.

“I was actually kind of nervous especially me being 15,” said Zaidi.   “I didn’t know if they were going to necessarily take me very seriously.  But I was kind of surprised that a lot of these doctors feel like they’re not listened to and feel like they’re just screaming into a void.”

Now, those guests can tap into his ever growing audience.

“Yesterday we had 500 people so that’s pretty crazy the reviews are great people really enjoy it,” said Zaidi with a big smile.

 Fazan’s parents are both doctors, a career he’d like to one day pursue.

“For him to make something so positive out of it and come up with it I’m really impressed,” said his mother.

But for now, Faz says he’ll focus on learning everything he can and communicating the best information he can find with others.

“My goal is to kind of reach as many people as possible,” he said.   “The more people that listen, the more people I can help, I think that’s going to be really amazing.”

A new episode is published each Monday.   You can listed to the podcast here.

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