The Latest: Another symptom to watch out for

Published in

Medium Coronavirus Blog

3 min readAug 12, 2020

Dear Reader,

It’s becoming increasingly clear the virus that causes Covid-19 can impact most organs in the body. The thyroid gland, however, wasn’t on the list — until now. Emerging data now shows that some people with Covid-19 are experiencing strange thyroid hormone changes. Scientists are still understanding the effect, but it’s additional evidence that Covid-19 can be a full-body ordeal.

READ: The Coronavirus May Mess With Thyroid Levels, Too

Yet not everyone who gets Covid-19 reacts the same way. Some people don’t develop noticeable symptoms at all. Why people react in such different ways is considered one of the greatest mysteries of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There’s many possible factors, and one that’s under consideration is “viral load,” or the amount of virus in a person’s body. It’s possible that people with more coronavirus have more severe infection or transmit the virus more effectively. Neither is known for certain for Covid-19, but as always, researchers are looking into it.

Here’s what’s new:

Case count: There are over 5.1 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and over 20 million confirmed cases worldwide. So far, more than 164,500 Americans have died from Covid-19.
Four people in New Zealand test positive for Covid-19: The cases ended the country’s 102-day streak without any locally transmitted cases of the virus, and it is now under lockdown. Read how New Zealand is handling a new outbreak.
Russia becomes the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, but questions remain. Experts are questioning the process since the vaccine did not undergo phase 3 trials. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the vaccine “works effectively enough”. 🤔 Read more.

Follow our Medium Coronavirus Blog for regular updates, and read some of the essential stories we’ve curated below.

Be well,

Alexandra Sifferlin
Editor, Medium Coronavirus Blog

Was this email forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to receive regular updates from our Coronavirus Team in your inbox.

Sign up here 📩

A quick Q&A: Is it safe to go to the pool?

So far, there’s no evidence the virus that causes Covid-19 spreads through the water. This is in part because chlorine kills SARS-CoV-2 and also keeps viral particles from floating around the pool. But like any social activity outside the home, a crowded public pool will not be risk-free, so be sure to keep your distance, wear a mask when you can’t, and consider waiting for that post-swim shower until you get home. Read more here.