Clinical Informatics and Management

Oxygen requirements and approaches to respiratory support in patients with COVID-19 in a hospital setting in South Africa: a WHO study.

The primary aim of this observational study is to describe oxygen use, requirements and respiratory support interventions at the facility level in LMICs. This information will be used to further inform the platform trial. For this aim, we will collect daily information about oxygen use, including oxygen flow rates, types of respiratory delivery devices. This will allow us to achieve our more detailed objectives:

1. Characterize the type and duration of different modalities of oxygen therapy and respiratory support delivered to patients with severe and critical COVID-19.
2. Quantify the amount (m³) of oxygen delivered to patients with severe and critical COVID-19.
3. Describe practice patterns in escalating and de-escalating oxygen therapy and respiratory support in
   COVID-19.

A review of mortality in an academic hospital before, during and after the COVID pandemic in Gauteng Province, South Africa.

The primary aim is to investigate changing trends in in-hospital patient mortality in an academic hospital in Gauteng from April 2018 through March 2024 before, during and after the first four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic,to establish baseline trends in mortality and admissions in the hospital from April 2018 to March 2020, to describe the impact of COVID-19 on mortality trends from April 2020 to March 2022 over the period of the four waves of the pandemic and to document the predicted rebound in deaths due to non-COVID causes in the 24 months following the worst of the COVID pandemic period.

Vaccine Efficacy.

The primary purpose of the study is to estimate VE of Covid-19 vaccines against hospitalization for Covid-19 related respiratory illness (CoARI). Secondary objectives of the study will include analysing the effectiveness of the aforementioned vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals hospitalized for illness not related to Covid-19 syndrome, as well as vaccine effectiveness against infection in pregnant women. Study populations will be modified over time based on age- or risk-based recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines at the time of study conduct.

Preventative Medicine 

This Section of the Department consolidates a number of clinical activities within the Department, which are intimately associated with the skills of Public Health Physicians such as Communicable Diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases, Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health.

Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) in collaboration with Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria and Novo Nordisk Pty Ltd:

This project looks at implementation of integrated approach to prevention and treatment of cardio-metabolic renal medicine in South Africa. It aims to identify main barriers that needs to be overcome for various stakeholders for implementation an intervention based on integrated approach to NCDs and associated multi-morbidities in South Africa. In addition, the study will also look into the key contextual factors for the cardio-metabolic-renal medicine for the community served by the selected PHC facilities that might affect implementation of at these sites.

Socio-economic and epidemiology impact survey upstream of the Lesotho Highland Water Project.

This project is being implemented as part of the UP COPC Research Unit’s partnership with CES Environmental and Social Advisory service. The internal partners are Departments of Human Nutrition and Statistics.

Occupational and Environmental Health 

Environmental Health

The environmental health visits to assist the GDoH with work premises assessment related to environmental COVID-19 prevention were undertaken during the pandemic.  

Social Medicine

Implementation of the WHO Afro Action Toolkit for SDH with students in their local context

This work is being performed jointly with the WHOCC for Community Health and Development based at the University of Kansas. This Health Action Toolkit offers guidance for addressing health and development goals in local communities in the African Region. It also provides technical support for working together across sectors to change conditions to assure equal opportunities for health and development. The Toolkit has been used to encourage dialogue and to recommend actions. 

COVID-19 Response in WHO-Afro region

The WHO HQ has been working with the WHO Collaboration  Centre based at our Department to conduct a COVID-19 research project titled ‘Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) in COVID-19 response’. Its aim is to provide insight on actions on SDH to tackle inequalities impacting and impacted by COVID-19 and capacity to address SDH and health inequalities in relation to COVID-19.

SDH Research Agenda for Africa

This project is undertaken jointly with WHO Headquarter and Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research to inform the development of a draft research agenda for social determinants of health, with a focus on policy and implementation research and to review the current status of research on social determinants of health, identifying key gaps in Africa.