There’s also a chance that whether or not you have already been exposed to COVID-19 can determine how severe your infection is. With the dengue virus, for example, the first time someone is exposed to the virus, they often have only a mild infection, but if they encounter it a second time, it can become deadly. Researchers believe this is due to the antibodies the body creates after first exposure, which start to diminish over time. If they drop to a low enough level, they’re not able to fight off the virus, but instead they inadvertently assist the virus in infecting cells. It’s called antibody-dependent enhancement, and researchers are investigating whether past exposure to this or a similar coronavirus could worsen the symptoms of COVID-19.

Other researchers are looking at whether the microbiome — the menagerie of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in and on the human body — could be playing a role. Microbiomes differ from person to person and some microbes have been known to help or hinder an individual’s ability to fight off infection.

Nicotine causes dose-dependent inhibition of the growth of various bacterial and fungal pathogens (Pavia et al., 2000 ), and has been shown to kill parasitoids in two caterpillar species (Barbosa et al., 1986). Nicotine also has antiviral effects, as shown for the hepatitis C virus, where the alkaloid inhibits viral replication (Yamashina et al., 2008 ). In a recent study, another nectar alkaloid, gelsemine, reduced infection by a protozoan pathogen (Crithidia bombi) in bumble bees (Manson et al., 2010).

Mocco called neurosurgeons he knows elsewhere in the country. At Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Dr. Pascal Jabbour had begun to see a similar surge in strokes among people with COVID-19. The way his patients’ blood congealed reminded him of congenital conditions such as lupus, or certain cancers.

“I’ve never seen any other viruses causing that,” Jabbour said.

Right now China is ... PAYING PEOPLE TO BUY CRAP ... locally with "vouchers" (google China vouchers) so no one is rushing to bust a wallet in China because they know people are asymptomatic.