Res earch
The map illustrates that the majority of wards in Gauteng have a greater proportion of female COVID-19 cases.
THE ADVENT OF the COVID-19 pandemic not only ignited medical and economic responses, but saw social scientists working at the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) respond with agility to advise in the planning of these responses. The GCRO is a partnership between Wits University, the University of Johannesburg, and the Gauteng Provincial Government. Years of research around Gauteng made it possible for the GCRO to use a visual analytics platform developed by IBM Research Africa, and collaborate with data scientists, to offer insights into how best to respond to the pandemic. By using a “syndemics approach” the key social forces and structural drivers that may exacerbate the spread of disease were identified — basically, a vulnerability detector in the context of COVID-19. The GCRO’s COVID-19 Map of the Month was launched as a result. It initially explored two key themes: 1) the multiple risk factors in the maintenance of basic preventative hygiene and social distancing and 2) the risk factors in contexts of major shutdowns and potential outbreaks. 10 W I T S R E V I E W
VISUAL DATA PLOTS PANDEMIC PATH A year on from its inception, the project has rapidly expanded with impressive outputs. Among others, these include COVID-19 in children and adolescents; the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care facilities; household characteristics in relation to COVID-19 risks; the impact of COVID-19 on women; income and household vulnerability; COVID-19 cases in South Africa by province; and
