Science News Roundup: Viral load may predict ventilator need; T-cell study adds to debate over COVID immunity duration and more

Viral load may predict ventilator need, death risk; coronavirus damages red blood cells The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Viral load may predict ventilator need, death risk; coronavirus damages red blood cells

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Viral load predicts need for ventilator, death risk.

T-cell study adds to debate over duration of COVID-19 immunity

A small but key UK study has found that "cellular immunity" to the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 virus is present after six months in people who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 - suggesting they might have some level of protection for at least that time. Scientists presenting the findings, from 100 non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Britain, said they were "reassuring" but did not mean people cannot in rare cases be infected twice with the disease.

Why NASA's moonshot, Boeing, Bezos and Musk have a lot riding on U.S. election

U.S. President Donald Trump's differences with rival presidential candidate Joe Biden extend far beyond planet earth. President Trump's plans to win the race in space call for a 2024 moon mission, and ending direct U.S. financial support for the International Space Station in 2025 - turning over control of the decades-old orbital laboratory to private space companies.