Thread by @DrEricDing

📍DEAR REPORTERS—we need you to ask the WH what was the “Ct” value of #HopeHicks’s positive #COVID19 test. It would tell us the *viral load* and potentially how infectious she was Wednesday night! Someone ASK the “Ct” please!

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1311846435646832640

2) To be clear, “People with higher viral loads may also shed more whole viruses, which makes them more contagious, compounding the danger of spreading disease more widely.” statnews.com/2020/04/14/how…

3) The “Ct” value is the cycle threshold of a PCR—it means how many amplification cycles the lab had to run to get the virus 🧬 amplified. The lower Ct the higher viral load: <30 means likely she was infectious. If it’s above 35, it might be too small dose. >40 is usually a neg.

4) In one #COVID19 study, they defined viral load as:

📌High viral load = CT value <25

📌medium viral load = CT value 25-30

📌low viral load = CT value>30

sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

5) in that same study, they found high viral load of #COVID19 at hospitalization = higher mortality.

6) There is also an “incubation” time from exposure to symptoms (if any). But that varies widely. Average 5 days. But sometimes 2 days sometimes 14 days or even occasionally longer. So exposure of initial infection doesn’t mean instantly contagious to others.

7) Hope Hick’s incubation time matters a bit here. And her infectious period which starts BEFORE symptoms started Wednesday. 👇

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1311875744532967424