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Does Virus Dose or Load Predict How Sick You Get With COVID-19? – MedPageToday

Initial exposure, strength of virus infection both seen as contributors to illness severity. Cruise ship passengers who embarked from the coast of Argentina in mid-March were unaware that they were living in a COVID-19 hotspot for more than a week after the ship departed.

New podcast focuses on COVID immunity – Tulane

Tulane has launched a new podcast, On Good Authority, featuring cutting-edge insights from leading experts on global topics. “Is COVID-19 Immunity Possible?” is the first episode and features virologist Robert Garry and immunologist James McLachlan from the School of Medicine.

How We Survive the Winter – The Atlantic

It is now widely accepted among experts that the United States is primed for a surge in cases at a uniquely perilous moment in our national history. “As we approach the fall and winter months, it is important that we get the baseline level of daily infections much lower than they are right now,” Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told me by email. For the past few weeks, the country has been averaging about 40,000 new infections a day. Fauci said that “we must, over the next few weeks, get that baseline of infections down to 10,000 per day, or even much less if we want to maintain control of this outbreak.”

Studies explore asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, racial inequities – CIDRAP

Today, PLOS Medicine published two large COVID-19 studies, one a meta-analysis of 79 international studies showing that most infected patients eventually have symptoms, and the other a study of 5.8 million US Department of Veterans Affairs patients revealing that blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be infected—but not to die within 30 days—than whites. [Related PLoS Study] [Another PLoS Study]

Ultraviolet-C light kills coronavirus on N95 masks, making them safe to reuse – Detroit Free Press

Ultraviolet-C light kills coronavirus on N95 respirator masks, effectively decontaminating them so they can safely be reused, dermatology researchers at Henry Ford Health System and the University of Michigan announced Tuesday. [Related study]

New research adds to growing evidence for asymptomatic spread of Covid-19 – NBC News

Two studies published Tuesday shed light on the so-called silent spread of Covid-19. One study, published in the journal Thorax, reports that asymptomatic people can carry as much virus in their noses and throats as people showing symptoms of the illness. The second study, a review published in Plos Medicine, found that while the majority of infected individuals do develop symptoms, they may test positive before those symptoms begin.

Rising coronavirus case numbers in many states spur warning of autumn surge – Washington Post

Progress in slowing the march of the novel coronavirus has stalled in much of the United States, and the pathogen is spreading at dangerous rates in many states as autumn arrives and colder weather — traditionally congenial to viruses — begins to settle across the nation, public health data shows.

Honoring U.S. Healthcare Workers Who Died From Coronavirus – MedPageToday

While all life lost during the coronavirus pandemic is invaluable, MedPage Today is highlighting the names of U.S. healthcare workers who have died while working on the front lines.