President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic.
UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously and has created a Coronavirus Disease 2019 updates page which offers a range of relevant information.
The Faculty of Health Sciences puts the safety of staff and students at the forefront of its response to the pandemic. New guidelines and processes are being developed for adapted ways of teaching, learning, research and working in health services. The FHS has a repository of COVID-19 communications, as well as contacts for Key Operational Support Services.
The Institute has curated a go-to range of reliable information to guide and assist staff and students during this time of crisis. We are continuously updating the various COVID-19 resources listed below. Should you have anything to contribute, feel free to send it to us.
Health and Safety (Occupational H&S Measures and Guidelines; PPE, Disinfectant, and Social Distancing Guidelines; and Instructional Videos on COVID-19)
The IDM Health and Safety (H&S) Resources page has been updated to include COVID-19 specific resources such as: Occupational H&S Measures and Guidelines; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Disinfectant, and Social Distancing Guidelines; and a range of videos created by the Western Cape Government to assist staff in learning about the dos and don’ts of dealing with COVID-19.
Academic Resources (Free access to the latest COVID-19 research articles, information, and commentary from the scientific community)
The New England Journal of Medicine provides a collection of articles and other resources on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, including clinical reports, management guidelines, and commentary.
The Lancet has created a Coronavirus Resource Centre with content from across its journals - as it is published.
Nature has granted free to access to the latest available COVID-19 related research, evidence, and data.
The Science journals are striving to provide timely research, analysis, and news coverage of COVID-19 and the coronavirus that causes it. All content is free to access.
The Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) network COVID-19 collection includes clinical information, an interactive outbreak map, and Q&As amongst other resources.
Cell has created a Coronavirus Resource Hub - an outlet for the latest content about the outbreak as it appears in Cell Press journals.
The Frontiers Coronavirus Knowledge Hub is a source of trusted information and analysis on COVID-19, including the latest research articles, information, and commentary from their world-class scientific community.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) COVID-19 hub supports health professionals and researchers with practical guidance, online CPD courses, as well as the latest news, comment, and research from BMJ.
PLOS aims to support researchers through their COVID-19 page which includes links to emerging research, policy updates, and pandemic-related resources.
Corona Times is a collaborative platform between UCT's Institute for the Humanities in Africa and international entities. It engages scholars offering detailed, rigorously researched, ethical expert commentary that explores ways to grasp the wide-spread effects of the virus. Looking at the socio-cultural, political, and economic implications of the pandemic.
Advancing global immunology education is immunopaedia.org with breaking news tracking relevant COVID-19 information.
The Immunopaedia Monthly Newsletter archive is available here with targeted COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 information.
The Conversation Africa is an independent news and views source from the academic and research community. Their COVID-19 page collates a reservoir of expertise from across the continent.
Daily Maverick's COVID-19 content is not only focused on the health implications of the virus but its impact on various sectors of life.
Resource Pages (Various trusted resources that offer valuable tips, FAQs, and guides to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic)
The National Health Laboratory Service, the National Institute for Occupational Health, and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases offer pointers on Preparing the Workplace for Coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides offers information on "How to protect yourself", "What to do if you are sick" as well as guidelines to inform community response to COVID-19.
The Western Cape Government has FAQs, helpful hotlines, and other tips. Details about their national and provincial hotlines are also available on the site.
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group is kitted up with various mental health matters to help with adjustments during this time.
UCT's Department of Medicine provides insights and guidelines from Infectious Disease Experts and Specialist Clinicians in the Department, as well as contributions from the global community that is deemed relevant to our circumstances. The myriad of available continent includes multi-lingual public service announcement videos.
The Division of Hepatology in UCT's Department of Medicine hosts ECHO clinics; weekly COVID-19 clinician-based virtual meetings featuring international and national clinicians and researchers. Agendas and recordings are available here.
The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation has curated a go-to platform with reliable information and resources on COVID-19. This is to assist staff, stakeholders, benefactors and community members during this time.
A UCT PhD student has created a dashboard with COVID-19 updates - applicable to the South African context.
For daily, non-specialist news about SARS2 visit Scoop.it!
Vaccine Hesitancy
The IDM has compiled resources to help improve vaccine knowledge among the members of the Institute. This is important in the context of the widespread misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. See here for complete resource list.