How long before we have a cure and 5 highlights from 'Vrye Weekblad'

A microscopic virus has now forced nearly 30% of the world's population into lockdown.

Covid-19 is more than a health crisis. It may change our lives forever and nobody knows how long this will last. We are now inhabiting the Corona Era and how we handle this crisis will define all of us forever.

This is an emergency, but it does not mean doctors can just hand out drugs willy nilly or send an untested vaccine out into the world.

It normally takes 10 years or more to develop a new vaccine or medication, but in an emergency like the one we have now, this process could be sped up.

Nobody knows exactly how long it will take, but it will most likely be 12 to 18 months. No critical step will be skipped. So we just have to wait and stay rational.

In this week's edition of Afrikaans digital weekly Vrye Weekblad we look at the process, as well as other aspects about the pandemic.

We've seen the panic buying and heard the desperation about drugs that may or may not work, but now is not the times to be hasty and irresponsible.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an online press conference on Wednesday that small, observational and non-randomised studies will not give us the answers we need.

“Using untested medicines without the right evidence could raise false hope, and even do more harm than good and cause a shortage of essential medicines that are needed to treat other diseases.”

That is, unfortunately, already happening.

“We also recognise that there is a desperate need for effective therapeutics. There is currently no treatment that has been proven to be effective against Covid-19,” he added 

He may or may not have been referring to US President Donald Trump, who announced that hydroxychloroquine is some sort of miracle treatment.

This kind of information is making things worse. There is no cure and no vaccine yet. Until there is, our best armour is correct information.

Read the full article in this week's Vrye Weekblad

Must-read articles in this week's Vrye Weekblad

>> Browse the full March 27 edition

WE ARE IN TROUBLE | We are probably heading for the greatest humanitarian and economic crisis since WWII. We look at a few ways this could play out.

FREE TO READ — LOCKDOWN RULES | There is a reason the lockdown rules are so strict: they are meant to save lives. We break them down for you.

FREE TO READ — LOOK AFTER YOURSELF | This pandemic is as hard on the mind as on the body. We look at how you can keep yourself and your family sane.

RAMAPHORIA II? | President Cyril Ramaphosa has more room to move now, but the corona crisis could still make or break him, writes Max du Preez.

TINNED PLEASURES | We have some ideas for fancy dishes to make with all the tinned food you stocked up on for the lockdown.