A century ago, the influenza pandemic killed about 50 million people. Today we are battling the coronavirus pandemic. Are we any better off? Two social scientists share five reasons we have to be optimistic.
To find a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, scientists need to work hands-on with the highly infectious coronavirus. It happens in a super secure lab designed to keep them safe and prevent any escapes.
If your immunisation record is incomplete, you might repeat a vaccination unnecessarily, or miss out on government support, child care, or work. So it pays to check.
A potential vaccine for coronavirus is undergoing a human trial in Australia. It’s based on a vaccine that was already in development for influenza, and has shown promise in animal studies.
Results from phase 1 trials of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine created a burst of optimism. But details the company failed to release suggest it is too early to speculate whether the vaccine is effective.
Do recent lockdown protests indicate that Australia is on the path to Trump’s America? While we can currently rest easy, the problem requires careful consideration.
Delaying medical care comes at a cost, both human and financial. The patients some emergency rooms have been seeing are a lot sicker and more likely to need hospitalization.
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