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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
NBTs will not be part of the admission criteria to UCT in 2021
The National Benchmark Tests have been a requirement for undergraduate admission at the University of Cape Town. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the testing programme, the NBTs will not be part of the admission criteria to UCT in 2021.
31 May 2020
COVID-19 patients who undergo surgery are at increased risk of postoperative death – global study
Patients undergoing surgery after contracting COVID-19 are at a significantly increased risk of postoperative death, a new global study published in The Lancet reveals. Researchers found that amongst COVID-19 positive patients who underwent surgery, mortality rates approach those of the sickest patients admitted to intensive care after becoming infected with the Coronavirus in the community.
29 May 2020
UCT developing framework for the safe return of staff and students
The University of Cape Town is developing a framework for the safe return of staff and students in a co-ordinated and phased manner. After President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the country will be moving to Level 3 of the lockdown from 1 June 2020, the framework being developed will be in line with the guidelines provided by national government.
29 May 2020
World Economic Forum honours young UCT women scientists
University of Cape Town’s women scientists, Dr Sarah Fawcett and Professor Salome Maswime, have been hand-picked for the prestigious Young Scientists programme. Every year, the World Economic Forum selects an elite group of researchers under the age of 40 to participate in the programme.
27 May 2020
Virtual Africa Month symposium to discuss the continent’s innovations in fight against COVID-19
A three-day virtual Africa Month public symposium, co-hosted by the University of Cape Town Convocation and the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance in collaboration with the African Union’s African Peer Review Mechanism, gets underway this morning.
27 May 2020
Global study to test malaria drug to protect health workers from COVID-19
An international group of physicians and scientists, including the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand, is establishing a research network to evaluate promising therapies for COVID-19 with a boost of $9 million in philanthropic support.
26 May 2020
UCT alumnus creates new app to connect vetted suppliers and buyers of PPE in South Africa
UCT alumnus and co-founder of Coronapp, Tamir Shklaz, has yet again responded to the challenges of the pandemic – this time by facilitating the buying and selling of much-needed personal protective equipment in South Africa.
26 May 2020
New transcriptomic blood test to screen for TB disease and monitor response to TB treatment
Researchers from the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative at the University of Cape Town, the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Seattle, and a large consortium of collaborators have developed a new simple blood-based test that can identify healthy individuals who are at risk of developing TB disease, identify those with subclinical or clinical disease, and can inform how well a patient would respond to TB treatment.
25 May 2020
A smartphone app to improve engagement in HIV care for peripartum women – new trial
Postpartum women and their infants in South Africa are known to be at high risk of dropping out of HIV care after delivery and are frequently mobile. A new randomised controlled trial involving a smartphone app – CareConekta – aims to investigate and address this risk during the peripartum period by investigating the feasibility, acceptability and initial efficacy of using CareConekta to improve this engagement.
22 May 2020
Milestone in translation of first web application into isiXhosa for students
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has marked a milestone with the translation of the wish, outcome, obstacle, plan (WOOP) web application into isiXhosa. The app is a self-regulating, goal-setting intervention that is available in 12 main international languages. isiXhosa is the first African vernacular language translation.
22 May 2020
UCT institute partners with health department to produce COVID-19 resources to equip low-income communities
The Knowledge Translation Unit at the University of Cape Town’s Lung Institute is producing a range of COVID-19 resources to equip communities and healthcare workers living and working in under-resourced areas in the country with important information and ways to stop the spread of the virus.
20 May 2020
Study finds strong link between bacteria of the human penis and viral STIs among South African men
Male circumcision is known to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections and impact the penile microbiota, also known as bacterial communities. One study suggested that the presence of specific bacteria is a risk factor for HIV acquisition in men. Despite this and the high burden of HIV in South Africa, there is currently no data about the link between HIV and penile microbiota in a South African cohort. In addition, potential association between penile microbiome and HPV has not been reported anywhere in the world.
19 May 2020
UCT will follow a four-phase approach to students’ return to campus
Three groups of students – final-year medical students, academically vulnerable students and those needing to access campus labs to complete their 2020 studies – will be the first to return to campus in a phased process. This was announced by Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Transformation and Student Affairs, Professor Loretta Feris during a special online special assembly hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng on Thursday, 14 May.
19 May 2020
Research study shows that a majority of smokers bought cigarettes during the lockdown
Most smokers have been able to purchase cigarettes during the lockdown period, according to a recent research report published by a research unit at the University of Cape Town. However, smokers have had to pay a substantially higher price for these cigarettes. Many smokers have had to purchase other unfamiliar brands, as their favourite brands were often unavailable during the lockdown.
15 May 2020
Vice-Chancellor hosts special online staff assembly on UCT’s COVID-19 response
Over 3000 University of Cape Town staff members were part of an online staff assembly hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, on 14 May 2020.Professor Phakeng and other members of the UCT executive provided updates on the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The executive members included the three Deputy Vice-Chancellors – Associate Professor Lis Lange: Teaching and Learning, Professor Loretta Feris: Transformation and Student Affairs and Professor Sue Harrison: Research and Internationalisation – as well as the COO Dr Reno Morar and the Registrar Royston Pillay.
15 May 2020