A recently published South African study set out to determine sero-positivity against SARS-CoV-2 before the fourth wave of COVID-19, in which the omicron variant was dominant. Sero-positivity measures the presence of antibodies against the virus; it indicates past infection. The study focused on Gauteng, the country’s economic hub. Ozayr Patel asked Shabir Madhi to unpack the results and explain why the findings suggest that South Africa has reached a turning point in the pandemic.

While much has been made of support expressed for the introduction of the National Health Insurance, a closer assessment of presentations on the NHI Bill during parliamentary hearings suggests that a number of concerns still need to be addressed.

Renewed efforts to ensure food security throughout the life cycle of a child - beginning with maternity protection for pregnant and breastfeeding women - are needed to stem the challenges of child hunger.

The South African Medical Research Council extramural Bioinformatics Unit (SAMRCBU) based at the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has started the 2022 calendar year with its calendar-packed schedule to support pan-African data analytics for pandemic response. Back in September 2021 in partnership with the WHO regional office for Africa the SAMRCBU set up a regional center of excellence for genomic surveillance and bioinformatics in Cape Town.

About 60% of participants are found to have high blood pressure. Pensioners in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga being screened for hypertension while they wait in line for their grants. The pilot project is by the South African Medical Research Council and SAMRC/WITS’s Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit.