SARS-CoV-2 can be spread through the air. But just how much of a factor that is has been hard to determine. Recent evidence suggests it is common, posing problems as public places begin to reopen.
‘Normal’ body temperature varies from person to person by age, time of day, where it’s measured, and even menstrual cycle. External conditions also influence your thermometer reading.
It usually takes 10 years for a new vaccine to complete clinical trials, but we’ve been promised a COVID-19 vaccine in 12 to 18 months. Even if such fast-tracked development is possible, is it wise?
People have lived with infectious disease throughout the millennia, with culture and biology influencing each other. Archaeologists decode the stories told by bones and what accompanies them.
If you have had COVID-19 already, are you protected from another bout of the illness? And is the presence of antibodies in your blood a guarantee of immunity?
Why does COVID-19 hit men harder than women? Is the disparity in mortality rates due to male hormones or an underlying difference in the male versus female immune system?
Our experts look at why people of colour are being hit harder by COVID-19, New Zealand’s success in eliminating the virus, and the latest on drug trials.
The South African government and some of its advisors want to have the best of both worlds. They want to use incorrect predictions by early models about the COVID-19 pandemic to claim success.
The virus that caused the original Sars no longer haunts us, but the characteristics of today’s coronavirus mean it’s unlikely to disappear in the same way.
Zoologists have known for decades that some of the most devastating viral infections originate from animals. Their data and research can be used in efforts to prevent pandemics.
Differences in the viruses’ biology and societal contexts mean there’s no guarantee today’s pandemic will mirror the ‘waves’ of infection a century ago.
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand