[LISTEN] I know the worth of what I do says best-selling author Marian Keyes
'South Africa is slipping into dictatorship' - CT smokers protest outside Parly
Trauma unit cases double as booze ban lifted
We don't have policy on nationalising economy - ANC reprimands Mzwandile Masina
'City in breach of court order' as Culemborg homeless site deadline missed
It would be risky to have had a blanket opening of schools - Motshekga
Surviving the pandemic : the local firm that went from selling bikinis to bread
Gross misconduct. Dishonesty. Recklessness - what 'delinquent director' means
Hard decisions - a CEO talks about navigating the turbulence of Covid-19
'The jury's still out on use of anti-malarials to treat Covid-19'
Scientists around the world are scrambling to fast-track their research into developing a vaccine for Covid-19, for which there is as yet no effective treatment.
In the meantime, some countries are looking at the possibilities held by two anti-malarial drugs.
RELATED: Worldwide WHO trial involving SA is focused on Covid-19 treatment, not vaccine
The Daily Maverick's published an article by Dr John Woodland titled Could a classic antimalarial help in the fight against Covid-19?
John Maytham finds out more from Dr Woodland, who is a post-doctoral medicinal chemist with the Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
He emphasizes that it's vital any potential vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 is proven to be both effective and safe.
Unfortunately those kinds of trials take a very, very long time.
Dr John Woodland, Post-doctoral medicinal chemist - H3D at UCT
In light of this, Dr Woodland dissects the hype around re-purposing anti-malarials and why it is so "tantalising" to "re -position 'old drugs' such as chlororquine and hydroxychloroquine".
We have to be so careful because you need to do these clinical trials properly and if you don't, then people start drawing conclusions that are not based on evidence...
Dr John Woodland, Post-doctoral medicinal chemist - H3D at UCT
... then maybe health professionals incorrectly prescribe these molecules, people take their aquarium cleaning tablets which contain the active ingredient and of course that can lead to a lot of poisonings, even a death we've seen, so that's all very irresponsible.
Dr John Woodland, Post-doctoral medicinal chemist - H3D at UCT
For chlororquine and hydroxychloroquine, these two interesting anti-malarials, we just don't have the correct information yet. So it's a bit of a waiting game.
Dr John Woodland, Post-doctoral medicinal chemist - H3D at UCT
Listen to this important conversation in the audio below:
More from Local
[LISTEN] I know the worth of what I do says best-selling author Marian Keyes
Best-selling author Marian Keyes speaks to CapeTalk's Pippa Hudson about her hugely successful novels and the 'chick-lit' label.
Read More
'South Africa is slipping into dictatorship' - CT smokers protest outside Parly
A group of smokers gathered at the gates of Parliament to protest against the ban on cigarette sales on Tuesday afternoon.
Read More
Trauma unit cases double as booze ban lifted
Trauma admissions at the country's largest hospital almost doubled overnight as a result of the unbanning of alcohol sales.
Read More
[JUST IN] No more Covid-19 testing if you’re younger than 55
Health officials in the Cape Metro will now only test for Covid-19 in people with comorbidities that are older than 55.
Read More
Surviving the pandemic : the local firm that went from selling bikinis to bread
Lester Kiewit speaks to Business Insider's Andrew Thomson to find out about the firms diversifying during the time of Covid-19.
Read More
UCT collaborates with UN in app to help you self-screen for Covid-19
United Nations agency Unitar, in collaboration with organisations including UCT, has a new Covid-19 self-diagnostic application.
Read More
'Western Cape must show seemingly out-of-control numbers can be reined in'
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize is touring the Western Cape, South Africa's Covid-19 epicentre.
Read More
Return of neighbourhood watches offers relief to under-resourced WC cops - Fritz
Neighbourhood watches and Community Police Forums (CPF) have been given the go-ahead to operate during level 3 lockdown.
Read More
[LISTEN] What Monday's booze queues say about SA's drinking problem
On Monday, South Africans formed long queues to once again buy alcohol after more than 2 months of lockdown.
Read More
'City in breach of court order' as Culemborg homeless site deadline missed
Homeless Action Committee's Carlos Mesquita says the City of Cape Town has broken its promise and has not communicated with them.
Read MoreMore from Opinion
Gross misconduct. Dishonesty. Recklessness - what 'delinquent director' means
Only very serious wrongdoing will get one declared a “delinquent director for life”, says Advocate Fay Mukaddam.
Read More
Kids don’t die from Covid-19, or spread it - SA Paediatric Association
It’s OK to send your kids to school, says Professor Haroon Saloojee of the South African Paediatric Association.
Read More
Rwanda’s rapidly industrialising economy is getting a R35 billion Silicon Valley
"Rwanda - they don't feel sorry for themselves. They don't blame foreigners or the rest of the world," says Nicky Verd.
Read More
‘Significant’ petrol price hike on Wednesday is indicative of good news
Expect a petrol price hike of about R1.20 per litre as the world economy gets into gear once more.
Read More
'Play rugby properly! No need for half-baked ideas just to have something on TV'
"I'd rather they keep on rerunning the World Cup final," says Jan de Koning (rugby365). "I’ll watch it 10 times every day!"
Read More
Why Claremont Mosque won’t reopen: 'We revere life and assessed the risk'
"We were guided by a supreme objective of our faith - the preservation, sanctity and reverence of life," says Imam Rashied Omar.
Read More
Aren’t we setting ourselves up for failure by opening religious gatherings? - DA
"Reopening religious gatherings; what were the considerations? It seems Govt is still hashing those out," says Siviwe Gwarube.
Read More
Churches easily become ‘super-spreader’ hotspots – why open them, not salons?
"Our restaurants are crippled! Please explain why gathering 50 people in a church is OK, but we can’t open," asks Wendy Alberts.
Read More
South Africa went from the general ward into the ICU – Edward Kieswetter (Sars)
We weren’t fine before Covid-19, so we shouldn’t aim for things to return to normal, says Sars Commissioner Edward Kieswetter.
Read More
Snow falls on Western Cape mountains – expect a chilly winter (SnowReportSA)
"We’ve got ground-level snow in quite a few places," says Richard le Sueur of SnowReportSA. "We’re going to see a chilly winter."
Read More
Highlights