A lot of current medical discussion revolves around viral load, which is the amount of virus within an infected person’s body. This can determine the severity of symptoms if they develop the disease as well as their level of viral shedding, i.e. the amount of virus in their excreta (for SARS-CoV-2, their mucus). Those with high viral load are more likely to get severe symptoms and to infect others and infect them more severely.
Unlike winter or seasonal flu – A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) – accumulative exposure to SARS-CoV-2 above the minimum infectious dose appears to cause more severe symptoms. Close contact with infected individuals over a sustained period over time can increase the viral load to the point where even someone without underlying health conditions and with a strong immune system can fall severely ill. Those working in close contact with the severely ill and for sustained periods of time…that’s NHS frontline staff.
Related to viral load but getting far less coverage is viral dose.
In effect it is the flip side of the coin to viral load. Viral dose is the amount of virus that an individual receives from an infected person. Initial studies (recognition to Professor Siddhartha Mukherjee for his work in this area) show that someone receiving a high viral rose will develop more severe symptoms and more quickly. Therefore, it follows that as they reach peak viremia their viral shedding will be greater, i.e. they are more infectious.
NHS frontline staff dealing with multiple infected individuals, especially treating the same patient over & over, will be accumulating very high viral doses and very high viral loads. This explains the increasing sickness rates in healthcare staff and may explain the death of healthcare workers without underlying medical conditions and with healthy immune systems.
Not only are NHS frontline staff much more at risk because of viral dose but their viral load means they are far more likely to infect colleagues and patients, and more severely.
The sick are made sicker by going to hospital and NHS workers may inadvertently be causing many of the reported deaths.
The government’s response has turned NHS frontline staff into viral suicide bombers: improvised infectious devices who are either being infected at a much greater rate and level (from viral dose) or infecting others at a much greater rate and level (from viral load).
Ironically, research also shows that a low viral dose leads to less severe symptoms, well within the capability of the body’s innate immune system to deal with itself. In other words, picking up the virus through casual contact or short-time exposure, e.g. out shopping, on public transport or ‘normal life’ is an acceptable way of being infected as the viral dose is low enough for the body to manage it itself.
The government’s response of locking people away at home while concentrating those with high viral dose and load together in the same place is completely the wrong thing to do.
Allow the general population to get on with life. Accept they may get the virus – if they haven’t had it already – with a low viral dose.
Create herd immunity.
Shield those at high risk as a result of underlying health conditions or compromised immune system.
Protect those at risk of high viral dose and viral load.