South Africa

ADF STAFF As the virus that causes COVID-19 has mutated and evolved throughout the pandemic, its symptoms also have changed. Research by the Zoe Health Study, formerly known as the COVID Symptom Study, shows how variants have changed the…

ADF STAFF The idea of a COVID-19 hybrid that fuses the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 is concerning scientists. Delta, which first emerged in the spring of 2021, attacks the lungs and has a higher mortality rate than previous…

ADF STAFF Life is seemingly returning to normal in many areas, but the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, as reporting from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests. In late October, the organization reported that more than…

ADF STAFF As COVID-19 case numbers declined in recent months, so did the number of people wearing masks. Encouraged by a significant drop in COVID-19 deaths, governments across the African continent followed suit, discarding their mask…

ADF STAFF The cranes that unload containers from ships at two of South Africa’s busiest ports slowed nearly to a halt in July 2021. Trucks waited in line for 14 hours or more to pick up cargo. Ships were forced to anchor outside the…

Dr. Jabu Mtsweni is manager of the Information and Cyber Security Research Centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa. Mtsweni spoke to ADF about the types of cyber threats African…

ADF STAFF Since scientists identified the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in southern Africa in late 2021, it has changed into an assortment of mutated subvariants that now are driving new waves of COVID-19 around the globe. Experts say…

ADF STAFF The spark of inspiration came to Craig Parker during his long flight home to South Africa after visiting his grandmother in the United Kingdom for her 100th birthday. “We weren’t sure whether she would survive this pandemic,” he…

ADF STAFF Researchers are warning about chronic health problems long after patients contract COVID-19. Even mild cases can raise the risk of cardiovascular problems for at least a year after being diagnosed, according to the authors of a…

ADF STAFF When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit Malawi, the country had just one lab and four staff members sampling SARS-CoV-2 viruses. “On a normal day, I was at work by 6 a.m. and tried to leave by 8 p.m.,” technologist Lucious Chabuka…