medical

Weekly deaths from all causes. The SA Medical Research Council has recorded an excess of almost 11 000 deaths between 6 May and 7 July.This means there were almost 11 000 more deaths than predictions suggested based on historical data. It is still unclear how many of these deaths can be attributed to Covid-19 or the…

A Washington D.C.-based internist and former Harvard Medical School faculty member has claimed the idea that herd immunity may slow the coronavirus pandemic is "wishful thinking" after a 50-year-old patient was infected for a second time with COVID-19."During his first infection, my patient experienced a mild cough and sore throat," Dr. Clay Ackerly explained in an opinion piece for Vox. "His second infection, in contrast, was…

Professor Ebrahim Variava. About 250 medical professionals have condemned the suspension of Professor Ebrahim Variava, Head of Internal Medicine at Klerksorp Tshepong hospital.Variava's suspension, they say, is not in the interest of patients or the hospital as his 20 years of service has yielded important achievements.It is still unclear why Variava was suspended, his colleagues…

A medical student's body has finally been repatriated from Cuba. Rehman Asad/NurPhoto via Getty Images The repatriation of the body of medical student Sbusisi Qongqo was hampered by national lockdown regulations.His body has arrived following intervention from the national government.His family announced that he would be buried on Youth Day.Medical student Sibusiso Qongqo who died in…

A medical journal has retracted an influential study which claimed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine may increase heart problems in Covid-19 patients. The article, published in the Lancet last month, prompted the World Health Organization to stop trials of the drug. But as Shamim Chowdhury reports, scientists say there's still little evidence that it's beneficial in…