News and analysis

Omicron is the most mutated form of SARS-CoV-2 that the world has seen. These changes allow it to spread faster and outsmart your body’s natural defences. But the immune system has some tricks up its sleeve that help protect you from getting severely ill.

A team in the country’s COVID ministerial advisory committee (MAC) uses a formula to keep tabs on the rise of infections. Here’s how it works.

An estimated average of 15% of staff are absent on any given day - and only one in three people who do not go to work are actually physically ill.

It’s been a bumper year for trouble for the country’s healthcare system and it's only June. Here's everything you might have missed.

The deaths of at least 144 mental health patients shook SA to its core and led to a historic arbitration that lasted more than 40 days.

Diets come and go like fashion - new research shows that to cut the weight you should cut the sugar.

About a third of the dust in your home is carried in on the soles of people’s shoes, and some of it can be bad for people, such as microplastics or poisonous substances like lead. The solution is pretty simple and the science is clear-cut. Leave your shoes outside.

Police often use tear gas as a method of crowd control. Here are some tips to keep safe when those tear gas canisters start flying from our archives.

Compromising hopes of containing the disease, latent TB remains dormant for life for most people.

Studies show that men who themselves are victims are more likely to abuse women.

Fast-tracking unregistered healthcare workers into the system isn’t without its risks, but it’s not without its solutions either, say foreign-trained doctors.

South Africa is unlikely to buy a new oral COVID-19 pill called molnupiravir, despite the drug having been approved for use in the country. That’s because deciding to spend money on a medication rests on more than just whether it works.

There is growing evidence which suggests interactions on social media sites like Facebook romanticise suicide for teenagers part of emo subcultures.

How do you fix South Africa’s sexual and reproductive health wrongs? Help people access their rights.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine into the country is one thing, but making sure the jab gets to people who need it – and is effective once they get it – is a feat for which South Africa is ill-equipped, experts say.

Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim both serve on the ministerial committee that advises President Cyril Ramaphosa on South Africa’s COVID-19 response. In our recent webinar, we asked them eight questions about what to expect of life between now and September.