This could have an effect on how severe our next wave will be and how many vaccines will work in South Africa. We look at lessons South Africa can learn from the second wave to be better equipped to survive the country’s next surge in SARS-CoV-2 infections. They were able to detect the new variant early in the second wave because South Africa has an established network of labs that specialise in something called genomic sequencing. South African universities that offer biomedical science qualifications include the Rhodes University, University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town, University of the Free State, Nelson Mandela University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Limpopo, University of Venda mostly as a postgraduate specialisation. Almost 200 people die of alcohol-related illnesses and accidents in South Africa each day, a 2018 BMC Medicine study has found.

Source: News 24 February 23, 2021 07:50 UTC