Diabetes mellitus is common in Malawi: over 268,000 adults live with the disease, and the number is expected to double in the next 20 years. It’s a noncommunicable disease which occurs when the body can’t turn food into energy properly. Although the cause of diabetes is not well understood, it’s linked to a combination of […]

Russia’s announcement that a fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine is registered there, with plans for quick distribution in the general population this fall, is being condemned by scientists worldwide. Findings from scientific studies of this vaccine, named “Sputnik V,” are not available. Large safety and efficacy trials are only now getting underway. But despite only two months […]

The number of new COVID-19 cases identified on Wednesday is 8 686, bringing the number of infections since the outbreak to 529 877. With 414 new fatalities reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll now stands at 9 298. Of the additional deaths, 135 were recorded in the Eastern Cape, 122 from Free State, 62 from […]

With 8 195 new identified cases, South Africa now has 511 485 people, who have contracted the novel Coronavirus. The country recorded 213 deaths on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 8 366. Of the additional fatalities, the Free State reported 51 deaths, Western Cape 43, Gauteng 40, KwaZulu-Natal 31, Eastern Cape 25 and Limpopo […]

A vaccine against COVID-19 is urgently needed if we’re to stop the virus spreading and prevent potentially millions of further deaths. We’re now one step closer to that goal. Yesterday, we published early results from our clinical trial of the vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (also known as AZD1222), designed by the University of Oxford and developed […]

As a medical professional, being on the frontline, I was constantly worried about contracting COVID. And three weeks ago I tested positive for it… writes Dr Andrew Williams, a medical practitioner in the Western Cape, whose post has gone viral, in which he candidly shares his fears and guilt of contracting COVID-19 in South Africa, […]

In a light-hearted – but important – rant, South African health care worker Kim Alexander has shared with her countrymen just why it is important right now that alcohol is banned. Watch below. An emergency medical practitioner also weighed in yesterday with an emotional message (see further down). Kim actually recorded her message a couple […]

Gauteng Premier David Makhura has confirmed he is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. In a brief statement issued on Friday in South Africa, the Premier said he on Wednesday began experiencing mild symptoms. “On Thursday, I decided to self-quarantine and test for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure. Today, Friday 10 July 2020, I received […]

There isn’t enough clinical research being done in Africa. Less than 2.5% of all clinical trials in the world are done on the continent. This is why South Africa’s involvement in one of the COVID-19 vaccine trials is so important. The country’s effort is being led by Professor Shabir Madhi. The Conversation Africa’s health and […]

North West Premier Job Mokgoro has expressed condolences at the passing of the province’s Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs MEC, Gordon Kegakilwe, who on Monday succumbed to a short but serious COVID-19-related illness. Kegakilwe was admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia on Sunday afternoon at the Vryburg Private Hospital. Upon admission, the MEC was immediately […]

South Africa recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases in one day, as 8 735 people tested positive, bringing the national total to 168 061. In addition to the new cases, 95 more deaths were recorded on Thursday. Of the 95 COVID-19 related deaths, 12 are from the Eastern Cape, 38 from Gauteng, 16 from KwaZulu-Natal and […]

As South Africa steadily edges to its COVID-19 peak, President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged citizens not to be complacent and adhere to the regulations put in place. South Africa recorded its biggest one-day jump in new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday after another 8,124 people tested positive. “We have all seen images and this is the […]

South Africa recorded its deadliest 24 hours since the Coronavirus outbreak, after 128 people succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday, the Department of Health announced on Wednesday. There have now been over 150,000 Covid-19 cases in SA. The Department urged the elderly and those with co-morbidities to stay home after it was revealed that 10,700 people […]

The supplementary budget tabled last week by South Africa’s finance minister, Tito Mboweni, whose primary objective was to make more money available for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, sheds no light on the relative prioritisation of prevention over treatment for COVID-19. Alex van den Heever reports. The required health system response to COVID 19 […]

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and the number of diseases associated with it, seems to be increasing worldwide. Africa is known to have a huge burden of disease, but little is known about the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. In our recent paper, we reviewed and analysed all published studies that assessed the vitamin […]

It’s one of the most controversial poaching prevention measures, but dehorning rhinos to reduce their value for poachers, is a method that some conservationists believe simply must be employed. So when South Africa went into lockdown, two small expert teams in the Pilanesberg National Park in the North West, which has suffered several rhino poaching […]

The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Africa is increasing exponentially since the relaxation of stringent regulations, as the economy opens for more industries to operate, says the SA government.   South Africa recorded 103 more deaths and 5 688 new positive cases on Wednesday – the country’s single biggest jump since the Coronavirus […]

The first participants in South Africa’s first clinical trial for a vaccine against COVID-19 will be vaccinated this week. The first clinical trial in South Africa and on the continent for a COVID-19 vaccine was announced on Tuesday during a virtual press conference hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). Wits University is […]

The big medical aid heist? To replace my current lenses will cost R6,000 – of which #Bankmed will ONLY pay R1,500 – thus leaving me to pay R4,500 out of MY own pocket… writes Gauteng publicist and regular SAPeople contributor Georg Knoke. Some background: I’m on one of the highest levels of medical aid cover, […]

South Africa recorded 4 621 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 97 302. Meanwhile, there are 53 additional fatalities of which 27 are from Western Cape, 17 from Eastern Cape, eight are from Gauteng and one from KwaZulu-Natal, bringing the death toll to 1 930. On Saturday, South Africa reached […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government relied on scientific advice, consultations and the experience of other countries when it made the decision to gradually ease lockdown. The President said this when he fielded oral questions from members of the National Assembly during a hybrid question and answer session on Thursday. “In deciding on when to begin […]

Use of a widely available steroid called dexamethasone on patients in England, increasing their survival rate, has been hailed as a “breakthrough” across the world and as exciting news by the South African government’s COVID-19 task team. They have said that medical staff in the country should consider the use of  dexamethasone on patients on […]

As the number of COVID-19 infection cases in South Africa continues to rise, with the national death toll now at 1080, President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the families of COVID-19 victims, who have succumbed to the virus. “Each one of these deaths is a tragedy. Each one represents a unique life: a […]

Government’s lack of transparency means analysts cannot evaluate whether a strategy is working… writes Alex van den Heever on GroundUp. The response required to address the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa could reasonably be argued to necessitate the extraordinary step to invoke the Disaster Management Act. After all, in times of crisis, even the old Roman […]

Everyday Lauren* breaks her isolation to visit the clinic where she undergoes radiotherapy. Cancer patients appear to have a higher risk of dying of Covid-19 if they become infected with the new coronavirus. Lauren has cancer and needs to attend a clinic for radiotherapy. She describes the measures the clinic has taken because of the […]