The spread global pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to South Africa at the end of February 2020 saw President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring a national disaster on 15 March. This was followed by the implementation of various measures to mitigate its spread, including a national lockdown with regulations to limit social interaction and economic activities. The intention of these initial measures was to slow down transmission of infection and enable the health system to better prepare itself to deal with the pandemic. While these measures are being relaxed in stages, it has demanded much agility from all South Africans in responding and conforming to ‘a new normal’.
The impact on teaching, learning and research has been profound. Like others across the world, the University has been working hard to continue its operations remotely, navigating and adapting to new challenges as the reality of living with COVID-19 unfolds.
Within the Faculty of Health Sciences, in particular, the safety of our staff and students has been at the forefront of this response. New guidelines and processes are being developed for adapted ways of teaching, learning, research and working in health services.
This COVID-19 landing page is a repository of information resources for staff and students, providing links related to our response to COVID-19. Use it to access documents, guidelines and a range of communications.
Enquiries: Email dimakatso.modise@uct.ac.za
Important Update: Return to Campus / LOA / LOI / Travel Permits
UPDATES
Find the updates sent to the Faculty community as well as those posted on the IDM website.
IDM COVID-19 UPDATES is a web resource page with links to information and valuable tips from reliable sources, for the community of the Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine.
EVENTS
Source information on events taking place in the Faculty, including a CALENDAR and RECORDINGS of COVID-19 events
WEBINARS/WORKSHOPS
Weekly COVID-19 clinician-based virtual meetings on the ECHO ZOOM platform, featuring both international and national clinicians and researchers. These weekly meetings are chaired by Prof Meintjes, together with a panel of infectious disease specialists, respiratory physicians and critical care specialists. The recordings are made available each week on this site within 3 days of the meeting having been held.
CALENDER
View our calendar to see upcoming events
RESEARCH
Find important information for the Faculty research community during COVID-19:
The FHS is committed to the safety of both staff and students in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindful of the disruption throughout these past weeks due to the response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, Faculty has endeavoured to establish guidelines for a new way of working in our research context.
HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH INFORMATION TASK TEAM
The Health Sciences Research Information Task Team was created in response to the pandemic, to meet the proliferation of needs with respect to research-related information in the Faculty at this time.
UCT FHS APPROACH TO RESEARCH IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
The task team developed a UCT FHS approach to research in the time of COVID-19.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Scientists from the Faculty are also working in collaboration with colleagues based at UCT as well as in partnering institutions, to develop and conduct research in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A summary of this research is available.
HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS
The Human Research Ethics Committee appointed to oversee the safety, rights and welfare of human participants in research has developed guiding documentation regarding COVID-19. This is available under the “WHAT’S NEW?” tab.
FACULTY NOTICES
UCT RETURN TO WORK POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Find important information and documentation related to TEACHING and LEARNING during COVID 19
TEACHERS
Remote Teaching and Learning Resources 2020
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY AND BIOSAFETY
Find information related to HEALTH and SAFETY precautions for working in different environments in the Faculty during COVID-19
CONTACTS
COVID-19 POSITIVE CASES
PREVENTING AND MANAGING INFECTION
SCREENING
PPE
CLEANING AND DISINFECTION
POSSIBLE INFECTION OR EXPOSURE
RESEARCH
BIOSAFETY
TEACHING
VENTILATION AND CAPACITY ASSESSMENT FOR DEPARTMENTAL SPACES
HUMAN RESOURCES
Faculty updates
MEDIA RESOURCES
These relate to the valuable information-related outputs of the Faculty during COVID-19
Faculty updates
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTS
Educational material including videos, interviews and other health promotion products
VIDEOS
These educational videos were produced by the Department of Medicine
POSTERS
NEWS FROM UCT
COVERAGE BY EXTERNAL MEDIA
27 May 2020 - Guidelines for engaging with external media and social media during the COVID-19 pandemic
Date | Source | Article |
21 May 2020 | Daily Marverick | Unravelling the riddle of the Western Cape’s high Covid-19 numbers |
20 May 2020 | The Citizen | Testing glitches and ‘skewed results’ threaten level 3 |
19 May 2020 | Media 24 | Covid-19: Call to reduce 'unnecessary' screening and testing in SA - and to target areas of concern |
17 May 2020 | Media 24 | Experts call for streamlining and rationalising of testing |
16 May 2020 | Media 24 | Covid-19: Some health experts critical of lockdown regulations |
14 May 2020 | Reuters | Walk-through sanitising booth sprays South African commuters |
UCT SITE
Personal Protective Equipment |
Introduction, do's and dont's |
Flattening the curve |
Reception
Tel +27 21 650 3002
Undergraduate Admissions
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Postgraduate Admissions
Tel +27 21 406 6340