Facts in Q&A format

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a few pets — including cats and dogs — have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. This happened mostly after the animals were in close contact with people infected with the COVID-19 virus.

Based on the limited available…

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has said more research is needed before it could approve ivermectin for use in humans. “To date there is insufficient evidence for or against the use of ivermectin in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19,” SAHPRA said in a 28…

While there are now vaccines for Covid-19, there is still no cure for the virus.

Related: LIVE GUIDE: All our Coronavirus fact-checks in one place

In a statement issued on 4 January 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted patients and health care providers of the risk of false results, particularly false-negative results – a test that says you don’t have the virus when you actually do have the virus – with the…

5G, or fifth generation, is the latest wireless mobile phone technology, first widely deployed in 2019. 5G is expected to increase performance and a wide range of new applications, including strengthening e-Health (telemedicine, remote surveillance, telesurgery).

Claims that 5G somehow causes or…

Herd immunity is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. The share of people who need to be immune in order to achieve herd immunity varies with each disease. The…

The Delta or B.1.617.2 variant of SARS CoV-2 (previously known as the “Indian variant”) was first detected in India in December 2020 and became the most commonly reported variant in the country from mid-April 2021. The mutations in the Delta variant’s spike protein help the virus to better…

In Ghana, from 3 January 2020 to 05 July 2021, there have been 96,067 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 796 deaths, reported to WHO. 

As of February 2020, there were only 67 ICU ventilators and no non-invasive ventilation machines for a population of 30 million people in Ghana. This is equivalent to an estimated ventilator capacity of 0.22 ventilators per 100,000 people in Ghana. Even if operating room ventilators are used as a…