Facts in Q&A format

Smoking is known to impair lung function, affect the immune system and can increase the severity of respiratory diseases such as influenza. Although no randomised controlled studies that have directly investigated the effect of smoking on people with Covid-19 are available at present, according to…

In May, the South African Covid-19 Modelling Consortium estimated that the peak in active Covid-19 cases in South Africa is likely to be somewhere between early July (in a pessimistic scenario) and early August (in an optimistic scenario). The initial lockdown measures and social distancing delayed…

Dr Jaco Laubscher, a Stellenbosch-based physician, has claimed that Covid-19 “is a vascular problem and not a respiratory problem”.He argues that Covid-19 is a disease that affects blood vessels and not the lungs. Therefore, the way the condition is treated by health professionals should change…

Malagasy president Andry Rajoelina has claimed that a herbal tonic, made from the artemisia plant, could cure Covid-19. The beverage, Covid Organics, was reportedly tested on fewer than 20 patients.In April, the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar warned against the use of the tonic based on…

According to research published in the online journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA Network Open, traces of the new coronavirus were found in the semen of six men with Covid-19. This small study took place at China’s Shangqiu Municipal Hospital and involved 38 men – some who were in the…

The Burden of Disease Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council has been using information from the National Population Register and historical data from 2018 and 2019 to estimate the number of deaths that could be expected during 2020. They compare it with deaths registered…

Researchers are still learning about the possible complications of Covid-19. A study of 32 patients with both Covid-19 and strokes in New York found that they tended to be younger than stroke patients who didn’t have Covid-19 and that their strokes were more severe. They also had higher levels…

In an address about the pandemic on 29 March, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari said conditional cash transfers for the next two months would be paid to “the most vulnerable in society” immediately. But it is not possible to apply for this assistance as community leaders and groups help to…

As of 16 April, Lagos state had the largest number of cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. This was 251 of the 442 confirmed cases in the country.