Salim S. Abdool Karim - COVID-19 in South Africa

Since the first reported case of COVID-19 on 5 March 2020 in South Africa, the epidemic grew exponentially with a doubling time of two days for the first three weeks until the effects of state-initiated interventions had an impact, reducing the doubling time to 15 days. The national response, which comprises eight stages, aims to flatten the curve. Stage 6 of the response on clinical care has provided new insights on the immune response, the role of the cytokine storm and the impact of dexamethasone on reducing mortality. The spectrum of Covid-19 disease from head to toe has transformed our initial understanding of Covid-19 as a respiratory distress syndrome.