The KZN Covid-19 Research Consortium comprises a unique collaboration of over 50 leading researchers and clinicians doing strategic Covid-19 research to address the pandemic.

The Consortium’s first virtual conference takes place from 30 November to 2 December from 1pm – 3pm (South African Standard Time) daily. Each day features a plenary session, followed by eight talks.

The conference objectives include communicating KZN-specific Covid-19 research findings and experience/practice.

See the full conference programme below, or click here for the PDF version.

The virtual conference is being hosted via Zoom. Please use this meeting link to join the conference: https://zoom.us/j/99502658683

PROGRAMME: KZN COVID-19 RESEARCH CONSORTIUM VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

DATES: 30 Nov – 2 Dec 2020 —– TIMES: 1pm – 3pm daily (SAST) 

Day 1: Monday, 30 November 2020

Chair: Willem Hanekom, AHRI

13:00 – 13:15

Plenary: Salim Abdool Karim, CAPRISA

Covid-19 vaccine results: What do they mean for South Africa

13:20 – 13:30

Conducting Clinical Trials during the Covid-19 epidemic in KZN – Nigel Garrett, CAPRISA

13:33 – 13:43

Characterisation of the B-cell response to Covid-19 in people living with HIV – Robert Krause, AHRI

13:46 – 13:56

High Resolution analysis of Transmission Dynamics of Sars-Cov-2 in Two Major Hospital Outbreaks in South Africa Leveraging Intra-host Diversity – San Emmanuel James & Sinaye Ngcapu, KRISP and CAPRISA

13:59 – 14:09

Factors associated with self-efficacy in preventing Covid-19 infection in April 2020, KwaZulu-Natal – Inbarani Naidoo, HSRC

14:12 – 14:22

Changing the norm: young people’s experiences and perceptions of navigating a peer led (Thetha Nami) HIV prevention and care intervention to adolescents and young adults in rural KwaZulu-Natal during the Covid-19 pandemic – Thembelihle Zuma, AHRI

14:25 – 14:35

Covid-19: A catalyst for moral distress amongst academia – Suresh Babu Naidu Krishna, DUT

14:38 – 14:48

Antibody mediated enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell-to-cell transmission – Laurelle Jackson, AHRI

14:51 – 15:01

Investigation of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect of lactoferrin, ovotranferrin and lysozyme in vitro – Jumari Snyman, UKZN

Day 2: Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Chair: Ameena Goga, SAMRC

13:00 – 13:15

Plenary: Tulio de Oliveira, KRISP

Sixteen new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 evolve in South Africa

13:20 – 13:30

Adapting a psychological therapy for perinatal depression to telephonic delivery during lockdown – Alan Stein, AHRI

13:33 – 13:43

High-throughput, accurate and affordable pooled testing strategy using 3- and 4-dimensional hypercubes for qPCR in Africa – Lavanya Singh, KRISP

13:46 – 13:56

Clinical characteristics and outcomes from a community-based Covid-19 surveillance program in rural KwaZulu-Natal – Kobus Herbst, AHRI

13:59 – 14:09

Impact of Covid-19 on HIV Prevention Trials – a site’s perspective – Jeeva Moodley, SAMRC

14:12 – 14:22

Cost-effectiveness of public health strategies for Covid-19 epidemic control in South Africa – Krishna Reddy, Massachusetts General Hospital

14:25 – 14:35

Alternative Covid-19 immune response leads to effective control in people with HIV – Alex Sigal, AHRI

14:38 – 14:48

Covid-19 severity and outcomes in HIV and tuberculosis co-infected patients – Razia Hassan-Moosa, CAPRISA

14:51 – 15:01

HIV infection drives interferon signalling in gut absorptive enterocytes enriched for SARS-CoV-2 entry receptors – Henrik Kløverpris, AHRI

Day 3: Wednesday, 2 December 2020

Chair: Inbarani Naidoo, HSRC

 13:00 – 13:15

Plenary: Nombulelo Magula, UKZN

Covid-19: A multi-system disease demanding a multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral approach

13:20 – 13:30

Antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 are similar in HIV infected and uninfected individuals – Jumari Snyman, UKZN

13:33 – 13:43

Experiences of participants in a decentralized antiretroviral therapy program during the Covid-19 pandemic – Jana Jarolimova, Massachusetts General Hospital

13:46 – 13:56

Changes in social contact and SARS-CoV-2 transmission potential in uMkhanyakude district – Guy Harling, AHRI

13:59 – 14:09

Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 viral load and antibody responses in HIV infected and uninfected individuals from South Africa – Aida Sivro, CAPRISA

14:12 – 14:22

PPE procurement in a research setting during Covid-19 public sector perspective – Charlene Puckree, SAMRC

14:25 – 14:35

Major new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 emerge and spread in South Africa during lockdown – Tulio de Oliveira, KRISP

14:38 – 14:48

Repurposing a KwaZulu-Natal Natural Medicine for Covid-19: a pilot laboratory study – Nceba Gqaleni, AHRI

14:51 – 15:01

The role of schools during Covid-19: Early lessons from a school-based study in rural KwaZulu-Natal – Natsayi Chimbindi, AHRI

Conference closing – Willem Hanekom, AHRI