What’s unique about the body’s response to the 501Y.V2 variant? Find out
New research shows that protection against the 501Y.V2 variant could also extend to other variants — including the original virus circulating the country and the variant first identified in Brazil. Understanding the immune response to the new form of the virus in South Africa can help shape how vaccines are designed for more long-lasting and wider protection.
Communicating risk and engaging vulnerable communities in the time of the coronavirus
A reference tool for communicators and organisers to better engage vulnerable communities during the coronavirus pandemic.
Publication title: COVID-19: How to include marginalised and...
These steroids can help treat some COVID-19 patients, but not all
For patients who are very ill with COVID-19, 10 days of treatment with anti-inflammatories can work wonders, but the opposite is true for patients...
Adjusted level 3 lockdown: Six things you can or can’t do
Lockdown regulations have been eased, and you can now buy booze again and go to restaurants, but not wearing a mask remains a criminal offence and the 10pm to 4am curfew remains in place
Full report: How 135 people at St Augustine’s Hospital in Durban got COVID-19
The report outlines in detail how SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, spread through Netcare's 149-bed facility in Durban
Resource details:
Publication: Report into a nosocomial outbreak of coronavirus...
The SHINE trial – hope for shorter, kinder TB treatment for children
Preliminary findings from the SHINE trial for children with non-severe TB have been released. What do the results mean for young patients? Watch the...
No child’s play: Will social distancing work on playgrounds?
Children can return to nursery schools, but they’ll have to stay far apart and there won’t be any outings
Resource details:
Publication title: Directions on...
The jabs that could save us — an introduction to COVID vaccines for journos
We co-hosted an online course on COVID vaccine science for journalists.
The course content was conceptualised by Bhekisisa and the Centre for Evidence-based Health Care...
Updated Coronavirus testing guide: A quick reference for South African healthcare workers
An updated version of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ reference guide for health workers testing for the new coronavirus.
Resource details:
Publication title: Updated Coronavirus...
Did COVID-19 help Big Business punt harmful products?
Clever marketing by industries promoting unhealthy products during the pandemic could have negative outcomes for public health, a new report argues
Resource details:
Publication title: Signalling...
Why science & research can be hard to swallow: The giant hamburger of trust
The scientific process is like a hamburger. By examining the quality of each ingredient, you can see how good the end product is. You wouldn’t want mouldy bread or wilted lettuce ruining a perfectly good meal — and similarly you don’t want bad science ruining what could otherwise be a perfectly good vaccine. We look at whether Sputnik V could make it onto the menu.
Updated South African guidelines for the testing and treatment of the new coronavirus
Resource details:
Publication title: Clinical management of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 disease (Version 4)
Author(s): National Department of Health and National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
Publication date:...
‘Your life is altered, but it’s not the end’: Life with HIV, stigma and...
The dark days of the HIV pandemic are over, but patients still face social stigma and emotional distress that can push them to stop...
The ABCs of grief – and when to get help
Thousands of South Africans may already be mourning the loss of their loved ones as the COVID-19 death toll rises. Here’s what to expect....
Q&A: Six things you’d want to know about COVID jabs
South Africa is on the verge of rolling out COVID vaccines widely, but can we vaccinate children and pregnant women, and which jabs work against the 501Y.V2 variants identified in South Africa? We asked the epidemiologist and former ministerial advisory committee chairperson, Salim Adbool Karim.
The World Health Organisation’s Solidarity trial testing possible COVID-19 treatments
A closer look at the study set to take place in multiple countries, including South Africa. More than 70 countries have already confirmed they...