Infographic: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

20 March 2020

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The University of Cape Town (UCT) is taking the threat of infection in out community extremely seriously. Please familiarise yourself with the information that follows to ensure your health and safety.

Coronaviruses are usually affect only animals. Those that infect humans cause mild to severe upper respiratory tract illness, including high fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.

COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation and a national disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

COVID-19 spreads from the upper airways of an infected person when they cough or sneeze. Saliva droplets fall onto nearby surfaces, where the virus can live for a number of days. Most of the risk comes from touching infected surfaces and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes.

Social distancing is the most effective way of slowing the spread of COVID-19.

  • Keep your distance from others (about 2 metres).
  • Avoid taking public transport.
  • Limit your activites in public and avoid crowded places (gatherings larger than 100 people).
  • UCT has cancelled or postponed events until the end of June 2020.
  • Staff and students must work from home if possible.
  • UCT will rely largely on online learning.
  • Students must vacate residences where possible.

People over 60 and those living with chronic medical conditions, such as:

  • cardiovascular disease
  • diabetes
  • respiratory conditions
  • high blood pressure
  • cancer.

Travellers to high-risk areas are particularly vulnerable

  • Stay home on your return.
  • Practice social distancing for 14 days.
  • Ensure meticulous hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
  • Take your temperature  twice a day.
  • Monitor for fever, a cough or trouble breathing.
  • Stay at home and self-isolate.
  • Ensure meticulous hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
  • Immediately contact the facilities earmarked for COVID-19 testing or the Student Wellness Service.
  • Wash you hands regularly with soap and water.
  • Regularly use an alcohol-based (≥ 60% alcohol hand-sanitiser).
  • Cover your mouth (using a tissue or your elbow) when coughing or sneezing.
  • Place used tissues directly into the bin, and wash your hands immediately afterwards.
  • Increasingly clean all surfaces that are frequently touched using normal cleaning products,
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

National Department of Health WhatsApp service
060 012 3456
(WhatsApp "Hi" for access to relevant information)

National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NCID) hotline
0800 029 999

Student Wellness Service
021 650 5620
(office hours)
021 650 1271 (after hours)
021 650 5685 (staff only)

Independent Counselling and Advisory Services (ICAS)
On-site counselling will be suspended for now, but the all-new ICAS On-the-Go app lets you chat live with an ICAS counsellor, giving you and your family access to 24/7/365 health and wellness info.

Please call me: *134*905#
Email: uct@icas.co.za
Telephonic counselling: 080 111 3945
Get ICAS On-the-Go

 


 

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 updates

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March.

UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Frequently asked questions

 

Daily updates


Friday, 5 February 14:20, 5 February 2021
Monday, 4 January 16:50, 4 January 2021
Friday, 18 December 11:30, 18 December 2020
Thursday, 19 November 09:30, 19 November 2020
Friday, 13 November 12:40, 13 November 2020
Friday, 16 October 10:05, 16 October 2020
Wednesday, 14 October 12:50, 14 October 2020
Tuesday, 22 September 14:10, 22 September 2020
Friday, 11 September 10:05, 11 September 2020
Monday, 31 August 12:20, 31 August 2020
Wednesday, 12 August 10:20, 12 August 2020
Friday, 7 August 11:24, 7 August 2020
Thursday, 6 August 18:26, 6 August 2020
Monday, 27 July 14:00, 27 July 2020
Wednesday, 15 July 09:30, 15 July 2020
Monday, 13 July 14:25, 13 July 2020
Monday, 6 July 16:20, 6 July 2020
Thursday, 25 June 10:15, 25 June 2020
Tuesday, 23 June 12:30, 23 June 2020
Thursday, 18 June 17:35, 18 June 2020
Wednesday, 17 June 10:45, 17 June 2020
Tuesday, 2 June 12:20, 2 June 2020
Friday, 29 May 09:25, 29 May 2020
Monday, 25 May 14:00, 25 May 2020
Thursday, 21 May 12:00, 21 May 2020
Wednesday, 6 May 10:00, 6 May 2020
Tuesday, 5 May 17:05, 5 May 2020
Thursday, 30 April 17:10, 30 April 2020
Tuesday, 28 April 10:30, 28 April 2020
Friday, 24 April 09:35, 24 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 17:00, 23 April 2020
Wednesday, 22 April 14:25, 22 April 2020
Monday, 20 April 17:45, 20 April 2020
Friday, 17 April 12:30, 17 April 2020
Thursday, 16 April 09:45, 16 April 2020
Tuesday, 14 April 11:30, 14 April 2020
Thursday, 9 April 09:00, 9 April 2020
Wednesday, 8 April 15:40, 8 April 2020
Wednesday, 1 April 15:50, 1 April 2020
Friday, 27 March 11:40, 27 March 2020
Thursday, 26 March 18:30, 26 March 2020
Tuesday, 24 March 15:40, 24 March 2020
Monday, 23 March 15:40, 23 March 2020
Friday, 20 March 16:00, 20 March 2020
Thursday, 19 March 09:15, 19 March 2020
Wednesday, 18 March 16:00, 18 March 2020
Tuesday, 17 March 12:50, 17 March 2020
Monday, 16 March 17:15, 16 March 2020

Campus communications

 
2020

New SRC and other updates 16:44, 4 November 2020
Virtual graduation ceremonies 13:30, 21 October 2020
Online staff assembly and other updates 15:09, 30 September 2020
Fee adjustments and other updates 15:21, 16 September 2020
Call for proposals: TLC2020 10:15, 26 August 2020
SAULM survey and other updates 15:30, 5 August 2020
COVID-19 cases and other updates 15:26, 5 August 2020
New UCT Council and other updates 15:12, 15 July 2020
Upcoming UCT virtual events 09:30, 15 July 2020
Pre-paid data for UCT students 14:25, 22 April 2020
Update for postgraduate students 12:55, 20 April 2020
UCT Human Resources and COVID-19 16:05, 19 March 2020
UCT confirms second COVID-19 case 09:15, 19 March 2020
Update on UCT COVID-19 response 13:50, 11 March 2020
Update on COVID-19 17:37, 6 March 2020

Resources

Video messages from the Department of Medicine

Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19

The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.


To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.

Useful information from UCT

External resources


News and opinions


Statements and media releases


Media releases



Read more  

Statements from Government



 
 

In an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”

 

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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