Can you be re-infected with the new variant if you have already had COVID-19 from one of the older variants? People who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection are usually protected from being infected a second time (called re-infection). This is because they develop neutralizing antibodies that remain in their blood for at least 5-6 months, …
Can I be re-infected with the new variant if I’ve had COVID-19? Read More »
COVID-19 vaccines have been topical and continue to raise several questions from the public, including when South Africa will receive vaccines, who it will be administered to first and why vaccination is important. To find out more about vaccination in general, COVID-19 vaccines and how South Africans will benefit, see the following frequently asked questions: GENERAL …
It is important to note that there is a difference between being fully recovered and being ready to come out of isolation. The following criteria are specified for de-isolation of a person who tests positive for COVID-19: Symptomatic patients with mild disease (not requiring hospitalisation for COVID-19) can be de-isolated 7 days after the onset …
A variant of the SARS-COV-2 Virus- currently termed 501.V2 Variant, has been identified by our genomics scientists here in South Africa. This genomics team, led by the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform, or KRISP, has sequenced hundreds of samples from across the country since the beginning of the pandemic in March. They noticed that a particular variant …
New Variant of SARS-CoV-2 Frequently Asked Questions Read More »
Updated 07 January 2021. The Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA), which includes the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN), University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University (SUN), has been monitoring changes in SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, since March 2020. NGS-SA recently detected a new …
The emergence of a mutated SARS-CoV-2 lineage in South Africa Read More »
The year 2020 has been coined the year of extremes, thanks to COVID-19. From the excitement of the first lockdown and turning one’s kitchen into a home industry, to missing the embrace of a loved one and finding a newfound appreciation for the technology that connects, one thing is certain – with the pandemic came …
Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Africa in early March 2020, and cases peaking during the week of 5-11 July 2020 (over 13,000 cases daily), the daily caseload plunged to less than 1,000 cases per day, with a 7% positivity rate. In the past few weeks a major surge in cases have been reported …
Since HIV was found to be the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1983, scientists have been working endlessly towards the development of an effective vaccine to end the global HIV pandemic which has claimed more than 32 million lives and impacted millions more. Unfortunately, the best vaccine candidate to date was from the …
Pneumonia is a respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The viruses and bacteria that cause the disease are spread through airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze. An infection can cause the lungs to fill with pus and fluid, making breathing and oxygen intake difficult. And while anyone can get pneumonia, children with weakened immune …
It’s time to go back to basics in the fight against childhood pneumonia Read More »
Mosquitoes and parasites do not respect country borders. CDC/James Gathan Jaishree Raman, National Institute for Communicable Diseases and Shüné Oliver, National Institute for Communicable Diseases Two of the nine global public health awareness days are associated with malaria: World Malaria Day, observed on 25 April, and World Mosquito Day, which commemorates the discovery by Sir …
As the malaria season begins in Southern Africa, COVID-19 complicates the picture Read More »
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