Africa Business Radio

South African scientists are investigating the highly plausible hypothesis that the emergence of new Covid-19 variants could be linked, in some cases, to mutations taking place inside infected people whose immune systems have already been weakened by other factors, including, though not limited to, untreated HIV. Researchers have already observed that Covid-19 can linger for many months in patients who are HIV positive but who have, for varying reasons, not been taking the medicines that would enable them to lead healthy lives. Professor Linda-Gayle Bekker says normally the immune system would kick a virus out fairly quickly, if fully functional.