The UNAIDS 2020 Global Aids report on the global Aids epidemic shows that 2020 targets will not be met because of deeply unequal success; COVID-19 risks blowing HIV progress way off course.
Missed targets have resulted in 3.5m more HIV infections...Weekly Roundup
COVID-19 has sent the number of deaths in South Africa “significantly higher than the predicted number based on historical data”. The Times reports that the Medical Research Council's weekly report on deaths said there was an upward trend in all...Weekly Roundup
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has admitted the province's hospitals are "overwhelmed" in the fight against COVID-19, and has asked national government for the support of the South African National Defence Force medical team, reports Polity....Weekly Roundup
The Eastern Cape government plans to turn 18 state-owned properties, such as museums and hostels, into field hospitals after they found that people engaged in risky behaviour while self-isolating, reports News24. Premier Oscar Mabuyane announced...Weekly Roundup
Nelson Mandela Bay has only two state ambulances for the transport of COVID-19 patients – one is operating in Port Elizabeth and the other in Uitenhage, reports Daily Maverick.
The metro is one of the provincial hotspots for the outbreak of...Weekly Roundup
Statement by Premier Alan Winde at the weekly COVID-19 digital press conference:
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Western Cape, I made clear that our province’s COVID-19 response would be evidence-based and data-led. In an...Weekly Roundup
The Western Cape has launched an action plan that focuses on diabetic people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Daily Maverick reports that the action plan has different strategies for those who are low risk, moderate risk or high risk....Weekly Roundup
Fear of contracting COVID-19 has led to a decrease in new cancer patients referred to Groote Schuur Hospital in the last two months and a decrease in those going for chemotherapy. The Weekend Argus quotes Professor Francois Malherbe, clinical lead...Weekly Roundup
Doctors treating COVID-19 patients in Sierra Leone has gone on strike over unpaid bonuses, leaving patients in some of the main treatment centres without care, Polity reports health workers said. The strike marks an escalation in a row between...Weekly Roundup
The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has announced live on television he has tested positive for coronavirus. The Guardian reports that Bolsonaro, 65, has repeatedly trivialised the pandemic and flouted social distancing, even as Brazil became...Weekly Roundup
Passengers arriving at Heathrow airport from “red list” countries like the US will be able to pay for COVID-19 tests to beat quarantine, under a pilot scheme expected to be backed by the UK Transport Department, reports The Daily Telegraph....Weekly Roundup
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says that the precautions people are practising – such as mask-wearing, sanitising and social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus – have possibly delayed the spread of...Weekly Roundup
Platinum group metals miner Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat), together with the North West Health Department, has officially opened the 200-bed Royal Bafokeng Platinum Field Hospital, in Rustenburg, at a cost of about R10m, to support government’s...Weekly Roundup
Comment is sought within one month on draft regulations developed with the aim of determining nursing and midwifery scopes of practice and, in some cases, limiting the level of responsibility a practitioner may be expected to shoulder – depending...Weekly Roundup
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has published a list ranking the risk of infection with COVID-19 for a wide range of activities, including going to a bar, attending school, or working out at the gym.
The list ranks activities on a scale of 1...Weekly Roundup
A report on health care inequality says while the sector relies heavily on women, they are underpaid and forced to work long hours. The Star reports that Oxfam South Africa’s report states that unfair labour practices and underpaying nurses and...
