Below is a digest of exciting articles and announcements concerning COVID-19 research and clinical advances recently in the news. Please return for weekly updates.

• Presenting Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Outcomes Among 5700 Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 in the New York City Area
  • The article describes cases of COVID-19 in the Northwell Health system, providing the most common comorbidities as well as demographic information about those admitted to the hospital presenting COVID-19 symptoms.
• CRISPR–Cas12-based detection of SARS-CoV-2
  • The authors provide a new method of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in patients with symptoms of COVID-19, using a CRISPR-Cas12 assay with high positive and negative predictive agreements that can be done in less than an hour.
• Viral load dynamics and disease severity in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Zhejiang province, China, January-March 2020: retrospective cohort study
  • The authors describe how SARS-CoV-2 can be present for various periods of time in different biological samples, like stool, respiratory, and serum samples, and how steps should be taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 through these media.
• The pivotal link between ACE2 deficiency and SARS-CoV-2 infection
  • The article presents new research into angiotensin converting enzyme-2 and its effects in the progression of COVID-19, particularly in the lungs, and offers potential therapeutic approaches to decrease inflammatory response.