The textbook definition of a vaccine is a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies that provide immunity against one or several diseases, and is prepared from the causative agent of the disease. Vaccines are considered a feat of medical science that have saved millions of lives across the globe, and in the time …
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: COVID-19 VACCINE SIDE-EFFECTS Read More »
MEDIA STATEMENT The recent rapid increase in the percentage testing positive for COVID-19 and the 7-day moving average of confirmed cases nationally, and across all provinces, is cause for concern. Data from the last reporting week (3 to 9 May 2021) showed an overall 46% new case increase in comparison to the previous reporting week …
COVID-19: South Africa has not entered a new wave Read More »
What is influenza? Influenza, also known as “flu” is an acute respiratory illness caused by an infection of the respiratory tract with the influenza virus. There are two types of influenza viruses that commonly infect humans namely A and B. The flu viruses are typically in circulation before the winter months in South Africa with …
MEDIA STATEMENT The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, have sequenced COVID-19 specimens from individuals with a recent travel history to India. The institute can confirm that five of the specimens tested positive for B.1.617.2 (three cases from Gauteng and two from KwaZulu-Natal). The B.1.617.2 variant is …
COVID-19 UPDATE: NEW VARIANTS DETECTED IN SOUTH AFRICA Read More »
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, continues to monitor COVID-19 trends both nationally and abroad. India has recently made headlines, following a resurgence of COVID-19 cases attributed in part to circulation of different variants, including the B.1.617 coronavirus variant. “The institution has tremendous empathy for the …
Media Statement The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, continues to monitor COVID-19 trends nationally. We have noted an upsurge in cases in the Northern Cape, North West and Free State Provinces. “The team is working with the respective provinces to ascertain whether the rise in cases …
COVID-19: UPDATE ON NORTHERN CAPE, NORTH WEST AND FREE STATE Read More »
Disclaimer: Information courtesy of the National Department of Health (09 Feb 2021) WHY DO VACCINES MATTER? Vaccines are an important part of stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the country. This is because they offer protection to an individual, by reducing their risk of infection or the severity of their symptoms, and also at a population …
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), together with research partners Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Epicentre, and Genesis Analytics, are currently conducting a survey on Healthcare Utilisation and Seroprevalence of COVID-19 in three districts in South Africa, referred to as the HUTS survey. The NICD has been monitoring respiratory diseases, such as influenza and …
The NICD Conducts Healthcare Utilisation and COVID-19 Seroprevalence Survey Read More »
The SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 lineage has been recently been shown to predominate in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa, all of which experienced major outbreaks of COVID-19. This variant of concern harbours mutations associated with increased transmissibility and neutralizing antibody resistance. In this report, we describe a preliminary analysis of 479 sequences …
Dominance of the SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 lineage in Gauteng Read More »
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 »
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