Cape Times 2022-01-10

Mostafa Rateb | The Conversation If you have a cold, don’t ask your doctor for antibiotics – that’s the golden rule. They’re for bacterial infections, not viral ones. We’re told not only that they won’t work, but that by using antibiotics when they aren’t needed, we’re helping bacteria become resistant to them. Yet in a recent study conducted in an Egyptian hospital, we showed that treating moderate-to-severe Covid patients with either one of two antibiotics (ceftazidime or cefepime, in combination with a steroid) resulted in similar recovery times compared to patients given standard treatment. This standard treatment, authorised by the Egyptian government and approved by the World Health Organization, was made up of at least seven different medications, suggesting that treating Covid with antibiotics could be a much simpler…

Liam Karabo Joyce liam.joyce@inl.co.za Media personality Dineo Ranaka has responded to accusations that she exploited a make-up artist. Felicia Zwane alleged that Ranaka tried to backtrack on paying her what she was due for promoting the star’s make-up brand, LuvDR in December. Zwane said she was contacted by Ranaka’s team to work at a LuvDR pop-up shop and that her rates were discussed via text. She claimed that after the work was done, both Dineo and her team members went silent and she struggled to get paid. Text messages between the two were then released in which Dineo said her office was researching what the daily rates for make-up artists were. Ranaka alleged in a statement to TshisaLIVE that Zwane tried to “extort” from her an amount that was “way…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za Summertime and the living is easy. The question is, who has time to apply make-up, and melt foundation, instead of enjoying the sunshine? Whether your mascara is waterproof, or your setting spray promises to hold everything in place, who really has the will to wear make-up in the heat? Of course we all want to keep a summer glow. We don’t need make-up for that, do we? Here are tips to enjoy a make-up free summer: • Healthy glowing skin is all one needs to feel confident enough to step out without make-up. This does mean taking extra care of your skin and a good daily skin-care routine. A gentle face wash, cooling toner and a hydrating moisturiser is the holy trinity of skincare products. Moisturisers…

Kate Moss, the 47-year-old supermodel – who has been in a relationship with photographer Nikolai von Bismarck, 35, since 2015 and has daughter Lila, 19, from a previous relationship with Jefferson Hack – says the prospect of “being in love” and spending time with family leaves her feeling her most beautiful. “Being in love makes me feel beautiful. My daughter inspires me to be the best person I can be and my favourite moments are when all the family are sitting down together having lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the country.” | Bang Showbiz…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has released a new report that found decreased severity of disease in the Omicron-driven fourth wave in the City of Tshwane, with fewer deaths, ICU admissions and a shorter length of stay in hospital. The first case of omicron in the country was documented in the City of Tshwane on November 9 last year. In the study, titled “Decreased severity of disease during the first global Omicron variant Covid-19 outbreak in a large hospital in Tshwane, South Africa”, authors including Dr Fareed Abdullah, Professor Jonny Myers, Professor Deb Basu and others compared 466 Covid-19 admissions in the first 33 days since the commencement of the omicron-driven fourth wave. In addition, a snapshot analysis of 98 patients occupying Covid-19 beds in…

Sihle Mavuso and Mashudu Sadike PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted the ANC has in the past made promises that have not been achieved by the party in recent years. He was speaking to journalists in Polokwane on Saturday after the conclusion of the party’s 110th anniversary that was hosted in the city of Limpopo where he also delivered the annual January 8 statement. The ANC hosts the annual event in different cities to celebrate its existence while making promises to its supporters Asked why those promises were never achieved by the party, Ramaphosa said the ANC was a living organism that was allowed to make mistakes and was not just a machine. He said: “We seek and we work to implement what we have decided and because we are a…