Research Publications - COVID-19

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COVID-19 and HIV: so far it seems the outcome is not what was feared
(The conversation, 2020) Fielding, Burtram C
Based on official figures – which may be somewhat under reported – COVID-19 has not been asdevastating in South Africa as initially feared. Back in March and April this year case numbers on the continent were still modest. But predictions and projections were sombre. There seemed to be consensus that African countries had weak public health systems and few testing facilities , and containment and social distancing were going to beproblematic in poor communities . More specifically, local and international organisations pointed to the fact that these areas typicallyhave the highest incidence of immuno-compromised individuals. Experts feared that the tens ofmillions with HIV and tuberculosis would be disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
How viruses evolve
(2020) Fielding, Burtram C
The unusual cases of pneumonia began to appear in midwinter, in China. The cause, researchers would later learn, was a coronavirus new to science. By March, the infection began to spread to other Asian countries and overseas. People were dying, and the World Health Organization issued a global health alert But this was 2003, not 2020, and the disease was SARS, not Covid-19. By June, the outbreak was almost gone, with just 8,098 confirmed infections and 774 deaths worldwide. No cases of SARS have been reported since 2004.