South Africa must expect increased vulnerability to COVID-19 once the lockdown is lifted

SAfm — Infectious disease epidemiologist and chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 - Professor Salim Abdool Karim - says South Africa must expect increased vulnerability to COVID-19 once the lockdown is lifted. As the country enters week three of the nationwide lockdown, Karim, Health Minister - Doctor Zweli Mkhize- and some of the country's leading scientists shared some of the science behind government's decisions in responding to the pandemic. Early interventions like contact tracing, increased testing, and strict regulations around movement have been hailed as positive steps in the right direction. But experts have warned that without a vaccine, the country is likely to suffer increased infection and death rates, scenes seen in countries around the world. The updated number of positive COVID-19 cases in South Africa now stands at 2 thousand 2 hundred and seventy-two.