People with COVID-19 and people with tuberculosis (TB) can experience similar symptoms such as coughing and breathing difficulties as both diseases affect the lungs. Exactly how these diseases affect the lungs, however, differs. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to a leading South African pulmonologist to learn more.
Over four months after the first COVID-19 cases were identified in the country the National Department of Health augmented its approach to contact tracing by adding a new digital component – COVIDConnect. Elri Voigt maps South Africa’s contact tracing efforts leading up to this moment.
While COVID-19 tests in the private sector are often processed within a day or two – even if the test is not urgent – many patients in public sector hospitals have to wait a week or more. Amy Green investigates the stark differences between public and private sector testing in South Africa.
This is issue 6 of COVID-19 Report. We point you to the latest quality science on the pandemic. Are schools safe? Hydroxychloroquine does not prevent COVID-19 and much more can be found in this issue.
It seems HIV and TB are falling by the wayside in the drive to stop the spread of COVID-19. Where we can we must minimise the harm to the HIV and TB response, and we need to see the opportunity to address all three diseases together, writes Erica Penfold.
The national lockdown has bought South Africa some time to get health facilities ready for COVID-19. Tiyese Jeranji looks at measures underway to prepare George Hospital for the expected surge in cases.
Like many other countries, South Africa is struggling to access adequate testing materials to scale up COVID-19 testing. Catherine Tomlinson investigates.
Government has rolled out an intensified screening and testing campaign in the hope of finding more COVID-19 cases during and after the lockdown period, but the disparity between the country’s testing capacity and the actual number of tests being conducted remains substantial.
