Salim Abdool Karim
latest news & developmentsUS making diphtheria great again? Why SA’s public health experts are worried about America’s RFK Jr
Misinformation fuelled by the US health secretary is creating a dangerous – and growing – lack of trust in vaccines
Naeemah Abrahams and the secret to defeating evil – do something
In the hospitals of 1980s South Africa, Naeemah Abrahams saw how often women showed up battered and bruised, a phenomenon her colleagues didn’t make much of. Three decades later,…
How the misuse of science compounded South Africa’s Covid crisis
Repeated claims that the country was “following the science” really meant it was following a particular science followed by some Western scientists
The Covid-19 Omicron variant: What is known so far
As scientists scramble to learn more about it, infectious disease expert Professor Salim Abdool Karim says current vaccines are effective against the new variant
Covid-19 vaccines still protect against severe illness from the Omicron variant
The vast majority of hospital admissions in Gauteng are of unvaccinated people, data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases shows
Vaccine hesitant? An expert answers questions people have
Safety, side-effects and the jargon-filled scientific information explained for those who have concerns about getting vaccinated
Editorial: Politicians fiddled, now Gauteng burns in a third wave
Our system is still not conducive for dealing with community transmissions. Harsher restrictions and constant lockdowns are not the answer
How do we know if SA is in a third Covid-19 wave — and could there be a fourth?
A team working with the country’s Covid ministerial advisory committee uses a formula to keep tabs on the rise of infections. Here’s how it works
Covid vaccine: Six things you need to know about the jabs
SA is on the verge of rolling out Covid-19 vaccines, but can we vaccinate children and pregnant women, and which jabs work against the 501Y.V2 variant?
Asked and answered: Six things you need to know about the new Covid-19 variant in South Africa
In December 2020, scientists announced that a new variant of the Covid-19 — called 501Y.V2 — had been identified in South Africa. Here’s a look at what we’ve learnt in the past…
Can you get reinfected with Covid-19? SA has ‘4 000 potential reinfections’
Although the new strain 501Y.V2 of the virus has spread 50% more rapidly, current evidence shows that it is not more severe than the one experienced in the first wave
Q&A Sessions: ‘I should have fought harder for SA vaccine’ — Salim Abdool Karim
Professor Salim Abdool Karim talks to Nicolene de Wee about his responsibility as head of the ministerial advisory committee tasked with guiding the government’s response to the…
Covid-19: Free the evidence
Governments need to provide the modelling and data informing the strategy to control the spread of the novel coronavirus
Government’s Covid-19 science mask is slipping
The government’s professed reliance on science to justify its response to the pandemic reveals both its overconfidence and its insecurities about getting citizens to cooperate
Time to overhaul the government’s communication department
South Africa needs clear communication between departments and with the public, particularly now during the Covid-19 pandemic