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COVID-19: Alumni adding value

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Wits alumni and friends of the university contributed greatly to the COVID-19 debates during May. Read here to catch up on them.

COMMERCE, LAW AND MANAGEMENT

Professor Dori Posel, a Distinguished Professor in Commerce, Law and Management, joins eight other investigators in multi university collaboration a collaborative research project across three universities which will track the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 in South Africa. The study will survey a nationally representative sample of 10 000 South Africans every month for the next six months using telephone surveys, focusing on unemployment, household income, child hunger and access to government grants. The aim of the researchers is to inform policy-makers and help direct relief efforts to where they are most needed, and to determine if those relief efforts are working as intended. 

Ondongo Kodongo, Associate Professor in Finance at Wits, speaks to Mike Siluma about the economic impact of COVID-19 and Africa’s response options. 

Kendal Makgamathe, head of brand and business development in Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct at Wits, participated in the MIT community for COVID-19 challenge.  

Dr Emile Zitzke, Senior lecturer in Wits School of Law, answers whether it is legal to disclose/publish the COVID status of another person. 

 

ENGINEERING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Nancy Coulson, Senior lecturer Wits Mining Institute and Nicola Christofides, Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at Wits put health and safety of miners in the spotlight.

Professor Fredrick T Cawood (GDE 1995, MSc 1997, PhD 2000) from the Wits Mining School writes about the implications of a lengthy lockdown in the mining industry. 

 

HEALTH SCIENCES

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim (BSc Hons 1984) comments on the hunt for the silver bullet and the dangers of rushing for a cure.

Dr Peter Barrow (MBBCh 1997) chats in webinar on the gastro-intestinal manifestation of COVID-19. He also has extensive clinical and research experience in inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), celiac disease, oesophageal motility disorders and GERD. 

Head of Immunology, Professor Elizabeth Mayne (MBBCh 2002, MMed 2009), has called on South Africans who have tested positive for COVID-19 to volunteer for a rapid study. 

Lucille Blumberg (MBBCh 1974, DTM&H 1987, DOH 1991, MMed 2003) Deputy Director of National Institute for Communicable Diseases and member of staff, co-authors with Shaheen Mehtar and Marc Mendelson answer key questions for African countries moving to make wearing of masks mandatory. 

Professor Lenore Manderson, Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Medical Anthropology in the School of Public Health, was part of a BBC panel discussion on living with ‘risk’ during COVID-19.    

Crowdfunded medical graduate Retshidisitswe Kotane (BCMP 2018) excited to be part of the medical team in fight against COVID-19.

Professor John Gear (MBBCh 1967, Honorary Doctor of Science in Medicine) previously head of Public Health at Wits and founding director of Wits Rural Facility, currently Medical Director of the Tshemba Foundation, writes lockdown is not a viable strategy for South Africa. 

Professor Glenda Gray (MBBCh 1986), head of the South African Medical Research Council mentioned in these articles related to tensions between scientists and government handling of lockdown regulations. Professor Gray was critical of the government's approach to lockdown, calling much of it "unscientific" and "nonsensical". 

In the same article Professor Lynn Morris (BSc 1981, BSc Hons 1983)  interim executive director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said the use of risk-based approach in removing the lockdown is based on guidance by WHO.

  • Minister of Health releases a statement in response to criticism from Prof Gray here
  • M&G health editor explains context of the tussle between government and scientists here. 
  • 250 scientists come out in support of academic freedom. 
  • Medical Research Council launches investigation into Glenda Gray.
  • Rob Rose provides analysis here on the Medical Research Council’s decision to ‘discipline’ Prof Gray for her statements in Financial Mail. 
  • Mark Heywood provides context on Prof Gray’s statement, which has not been addressed by government from Daily Maverick. 
  • Grateful for support from SAMRC once it calls off investigation.


Chimaraoke Izugbara Professor-at-large at the School of Public Health at Wits co-authors with Mary Obiyan arguing more should be done to fight bogus COVID-19 cure claims. 

Professor Bavesh Kana (BSc 1997, MSc 1998, PhD 2002) and Dr Bhavna Gordhan (BSc 1988, MSc 1989, PhD), from the South African Medical Research Council, make a remarkable achievement of harvesting live coronavirus as an additional control for validating tests. 

Professor Shabir Madhi (MBBCh 1990, MSc 1999, PhD 2003) Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the Medical Research Council Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit at Wits writes with Marc Mendelson that South Africa’s testing strategy needs fixing 

  • South Africa’s lockdown has reached its sell-by date in a webinar with Mark Heywood.
  • Discusses in a webinar with Ronald Abvajee that keeping schools shut disadvantage children because they are insignificant spreaders of the disease. 
  • South Africa’s response to COVID-19 continues to face criticism in conversation here with John Perlman, Mark Heywood. 
  • Co-authors a piece with Mary Metcalfe on shared responsibility of education departments, schools, parents and governing bodies on reopening schools.
  • Podcast series with 702, offers a profile of his work and explains mystery of stillbirths. 
  • Writes with Professor Shaheen Mehtar and Professor Marc Mendelson that disinfection tunnels for COVID-19 have negligible benefit and are potentially dangerous.


Professor Feroza Motara, discusses the intubox.

  • She is profiled in this article about what it’s like on the front line at Charlotte Maxeke’s emergency department during the pandemic. 


Dr Harry Moultrie, senior medical epidemiologist based at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, is convenor of modelling projections of the pandemic in South Africa in coming months.

  • With Dr Gesine Meyer-Rath from Wits’ Health and Economics and Epidemiology Research Office during a presentation about the required ICU beds required. "We need an increase in ICU beds by a factor of 10… moving public sector patients into private hospitals will solve the problem for about two weeks in June, and then we will exceed the threshold.” 
  • Projections of up to 5 000 COVID-19 deaths possible, 3 million infections by the end of the year. 
  • Lise Jamieson, researcher in Internal Medicine division, profiled here as expert behind South Africa’s grim COVID-19 projections. 


Dr Max Price (MBBCh 1979, DPH 1993) is a Non-Resident Fellow of the Centre for Global Development, and qualified public health expert and was formerly dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits. He makes sense of the “R” during the pandemic.

Dr Gesine Meyer-Rath, from the Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office at Wits, argues that they are project an increase in numbers of hospital beds and equipment.

Professor Helen Rees, Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute chairs the World Health Organization’s (WHO) African Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group and says certain vaccines don’t work in some populations as well as in others. She is quoted in this story about Africa as research location in the race for a vaccine and drugs against the COVID-19 collaboration.  

  • She discusses the trial and development of a vaccine with CGTN Africa here.
  • She tells Carte Blanche, everyone should consider that we’re going to be at risk and fundamentally change how we live about lifestyle from now on. 
  • Profiled in 702 podcast series: She speaks about her origins of medicine aligned with ethics and care. 
  • Hunt for the silver bullet, dangers of rushing for a cure. 


Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile (MBBCh 2015) vice president of Mental Matters, an initiative to destigmatize mental illness, is profiled here on her work and views on COVID-19. 

Dr Duvern Ramiah (MBBCh 2002) writes how to get the most value from NOVEL technologies. 

Professor Barry Schoub, Emeritus Professor of Virology at Wits, writes that communities should continue to stay vigilant. 

Professor Francois Venter, infectious diseases at Wit’s Faculty of Health Sciences, comments that gains made in HIV and TB battles are lost because of COVID-19. 

  • Trials at Ezintsha research group, collaborating with US-based Canary Health Technologies set to start in June for a rapid breath test for COVID-19. The trial will determine whether highly, non-invasive, disposable breath test can detect virus before symptoms occur. “We are very excited to partner with Canary on this game-changing technology. The holy grail is a real time, point of care device which can capture Volatile Organic Compounds or VOC as biomarkers." 

 

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Aroop Chatterjee, Research Manager: Wealth Inequality Studies at Wits, argues the impact of COVID-19 will be shaped by the country’s inequalities. 

Hannah Dawson (BA 2009, BA Hons 2010) Post-doctoral fellow at the Society, Work and Politics Institute (SWOP) at Wits offers reasons why South Africa needs to ensure income security beyond the pandemic.

William Gumede (MA 2013) Associate Professor from the Wits School of Governance, argues there could be a corresponding rise in nationalism and xenophobia with COVID-19, similar to 1930s. 

 

Erin McCandless, Associate Professor, School of governance at Wits and Darlene Ajeet Miller, (BA Hons 1990) Senior Lecturer, at Wits write that South Africa needs to forge a resilient social compact for COVID-19.

Alex van den Heever, Chair of Social Security Systems Administration and Management Studies, Adjunct Professor in the School of Governance argues we have not flattened the curve, our current trajectory of new infections is worrying. 

  • The Western Cape is the only province with strategic COVID-19 testing.
  • Questions the rationale behind some types of data - particularly where cases were being found at what rate, and other contact tracing and screening data – being kept locked from public view. "We don't know what they have done and where. And that means I can't protect myself. A large part of managing an epidemic like this is you being able to take preventative action yourself, not just the government.” 
  • Comments on government’s COVID-19 models.
  • Talks about identifying super spreaders in coming weeks.
  • Explains the expected surge of the pandemic as well as South Africa’s failed interventions in this context. 
  • He mentions in this article that governments plans are the equivalent to “digging graves”.
  • Chats with Judge Dennis Davies about readiness of South Africa and possible projections and balance of risk ahead. Open as a default and close by exception. 

 

Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor at Wits, argues varsities encourage blended learning. The new approach to online classes as stop gap to teaching during this period of COVID-19 won’t be a replacement for face-to-face learning, rather it will serve as a complementary option.

  • How do we mitigate the deep inequalities in society. The appropriate response should not be because all cannot access, no one can. It is a flawed understanding of social justice. On Talking Point to Kathy Mohlahlana.
  • Discusses the future of tertiary education, learning during COVID-19.
  • Writes an article with Imraan Valodia, Dean of the Wits Commerce, Law and Management Faculty, on how universities play a role in shaping new post-crisis world.

 

Fred Khumalo (MA 2015) writes lockdown restrictions reveal kids’ addictions. 

 

Dr Desné Masie from the Wits School of Governance, writes about the heat on Dominic Cummings over flouting lockdown rules. 

Professor Achille Mbembe, Research Professor at Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, warns the pandemic shouldn’t be used as a laboratory to experiment with ideas that will diminish our freedoms. 

Associate Professor Mzukisi Qobo, from Wits School of Governance and on the President’s economic advisory council, argues in this Financial Mail article that more enlightened world leaders needed during this time. 

  • Writes confusion and conflict in COVID-19 strategy beg for cabinet reshuffle in Business Day. 

 

HUMANITIES

Professor Lucy Allais (BA 1994, BAHons 1995) from the Philosophy Department, co-authors a number of articles: Other authors Alex van den Heever Chair of Social Security Systems Administration and Management Studies, Adjunct Professor in the School of Governance; Francois Venter, Professor and Deputy Executive Director, Wits RHI; Imraan Valodia, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, and Head of the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies. Here with professor Shabir Madhi, they write SA’s COVID-19 strategy needs updating: here’s why and how. 

They offer options of South Africa’s coronavirus endgame.

Edna Bosire, PhD candidate and associate research in the Development pathways for Health Research Unit, writes Kenya can’t afford to neglect people with underlying conditions during COVID-19. 

Professor Jennifer Cohen (MA 2013) Wits Reproductive Health and HIV institute study on nurses: SA nurses are overworked, overwhelmed and drowning in debt even before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Professor David Everatt, head of Wits School of Governance, writes lockdown is riling Black and white South Africans and wonders if this could be a reset moment. 

Julia de Kadt (PhD 2011) from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory writes COVID-19 highlights South Africa’s need for local level social data. 

Anthoni van Nieuwkerk (PhD 2006) professor at Wits School of Governance and served on President Ramaphosa’s High-Level Review Panel into the State Security Agency, writes here why our political leaders fail during this time. 

Robert Scholes, Acting director of Global Change Institute at Wits, writes choices to mitigate climate decisions must be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. He co-authors with Albertus J. Smit, Associate Professor, Marine Biology, University of the Western Cape; Francois Alwyn Engelbrecht, Professor of Climatology, University of the Witwatersrand; Guy Franklin Midgley, Professor in Botany, Zoology and Ecology, Stellenbosch University; Jennifer Fitchett, Associate Professor of Physical Geography, Witwatersrand; Neville Sweijd, Director Alliance for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science; Pedro M.S. Monteiro, Head of Ocean Systems and Climate, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and Pravesh Debba, Impact Area Manager for Inclusive Smart Settlements and Regions, CSIR and Visiting Professor at the School of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Wits University, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

 

SCIENCE

Bruce Mellado, Wits School of Physics and Director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics, says he is convinced that Gauteng is ready to move to Level 3. He discusses the Hunt for the silver bullet, dangers of rushing for a cure.

Shalene Selkirk (BSc 2015, BSc Hon 2016) is PhD student and lecturer of structural geology at Wits and reaches out to those in need during the lockdown. She started an organisation called Fountain for the Thirsty. 

  • Read one more article here.

 

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