Heart Disease Discovered in COVID-19 Patients
A study at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London has revealed that the virus could target organs other than those concerned with airway function . Cardiac tissue damage and consequent heart failure has been observed in up to 20 percent of COVID-19 patients. 500,000 single cells from 14 human hearts and […]
Read MoreCOVID-19: Human Entry Points Identified
International institutions, including Imperial College London, have so far identified likely initial infection points for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) in the nose and eyes. Receptors were also found in the intestines and in vital organs such as the heart. Heart tissue damage and consequent heart failure is observed in up to 20 percent of […]
Read MoreBCG Vaccine and COVID-19: Implications for South Africa
The anecdotal evidence for a positive impact of the Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine on COVID-19 disease comes from an ecological study in which morbidity and mortality rates from COVID-19 in various countries are compared in relation to their use of BCG vaccine in the past (Miller et al, medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.24.20042937 not peer- reviewed). The […]
Read More
Governments Around the Globe Rush to Flatten the Curve
The novel coronavirus – COVID-19 – has killed thousands of people around the world since it first emerged in China last December. It has compelled many governments to lock down their populations to a degree unimaginable until recently. It will probably cause the most brutal recession in living memory. Statistical data obtained from the Economist (2020) […]
Read MoreCovid-19 in Africa: fewer cases so far, but more preparation needed
The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation, has taken the world completely by surprise, with governments across the globe scrambling to contain the spread of the virus. Whilst hopes for a vaccine in the immediate short-term are faint, advances in medical technology have enabled us to develop an understanding of […]
Read MoreCovid 19: A Pandemic is Coming
As governments around the globe battle to contain the spread of covid-19, the role of public health has been brought into stark focus. Iran, crippled by US sanctions and without some of the most basic pubic health infrastructures, has seen infection rates increase exponentially. Economically secure nations aren’t safe either. Italy has some of the […]
Read More