COVID Severity Not Affected by Viral Load Upon First Infection: Study

The viral load or quantity of SARS-CoV-2 in the nasal cavity does not predict disease severity, according to a recent JAMA Network Open study. “We observed considerable variability in VL (viral load) at diagnosis,” the authors wrote. “Intriguingly, we did not find an association between VL at diagnosis and severe COVID-19 in this largely outpatient setting.” The findings contradict those of earlier studies that found that patients with severe COVID-19 presentations tended to have a high viral load. “The findings of this study suggest that caution should be exercised in the use of individual-level viral load … as a surrogate for COVID-19 severity, especially given increasing diversity in preexisting immunity,” the authors added....