IF THE theme song from Ghostbusters could be adapted to the fight against Covid it might go something like this: if there’s a weird virus/in your neighbourhood/who are you gonna call? Shabir Madhi!
The good doctor’s number is the one everyone dials when they want to know something about the pandemic. Cases increasing? Call Shabir! A new variant running rampant? Call Shabir! Clarification needed about vaccines? Call Shabir!
His face has appeared on TV screens around the world, his authoritative voice has seeped from radio stations from Limpopo to London, and his views have been tapped into by experts and government officials alike.
Little wonder then that the 55-year-old professor of vaccinology and dean of health sciences at Wits University hasn’t had a proper holiday since the first wave crashed ashore in March 2020.
He did recently manage to take a week off– and then what happened? He got Covid for the first time.
But because the professor practises what he preaches, he’d been doubled vaccinated and had his booster – and he doesn’t really want to think about what might’ve been if he hadn’t.
“My pulmonologist looked at my inflammatory markers and told me if I hadn’t had the vaccines I would’ve ended up in the hospital,” he says. He got it quite mildly and it was soon business as usual.
Shabir can’t stress the importance of vaccines enough. South Africa is likely to see the next wave of Covid within the next four to six weeks, he says, and we can’t afford to let our guard down.
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 28 April 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 28 April 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
TOM'S A TOP GIFTER
He's known to go ALL OUT for his movies and stunts, so it's no surprise TOM CRUISE also PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS for his friends when it comes to GIFTS
TAMING THE BEAST
Recognising and managing your anger can make for a happier and healthier you
FINALLY I CAN GRIEVE
The boy who killed her teen son has been sentenced to five years in jail, but while it has brought some closure there is no end to the pain for his heartbroken mother
THROUGH THICK & THIN
As William and Kate celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary they're faced with her cancer battle and his 'frightening proximity' to the throne - but one thing is not in doubt: their devotion to each other
'I'M BACK!'
ACK!’ Scandal after scandal hits Jacob Zuma, yet nothing ever brings him down. Now he’s plotting his return to parliament and he’s hinted he has his heart set on another term as president
A BRAIN YOU CAN COUNT ON
Meet Aaryan Shukla, the 13-year-old from India whos just been crowned the worlds fastest human calculator
FUN WHILE IT LASTED
It's all over for oddball couple Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher
THE TEEN MACHINE!
Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo has set the footballing world alight with his dazzling displays
A BETTER LIFE FOR ELIJAH
A rare condition means this little boy can't bend his arms and legs, but his parents are doing everything they can to give him a normal life
A DOCTOR'S JOURNEY
He chose to do one of the toughest jobs in medicine: looking after children who were dying. In this moving extract from his memoir, Cape Town paediatrician Alastair McAlpine reveals how, with wisdom and humour, sick kids taught him crucial lessons that changed his approach to life