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Since the novel coronavirus caught the world's attention in December 2019, doctors have been trying to determine how the virus damages the body -- and trying innovative treatments to stop it in its tracks. Now, they may have found one solution for treating COVID-19 patients in critical condition. Some of the most serious cases of COVID-19 require long periods of time in the intensive care unit, on ventilators. Out of options, a group of doctors at Northwell Health's North Shore University in Manhasset, New York, took a step back and wondered if they could stop the virus from causing further damage by introducing freezing temperatures. (Dastmalchi, 8/11)

The novel coronavirus does not appear to wax and wane with the passing of the seasons, experts at the World Health Organization said Monday. “In the absence of control measures, very often, viruses can show seasonal patterns. We’ve certainly seen that with influenza. This virus has demonstrated no seasonal pattern as such, so far,” said Mike Ryan, who heads the WHO’s emergencies program. “What it has clearly demonstrated is, you take the pressure off the virus, the virus bounces back.” (Wilson, 8/10)

More than 500 people in one of the poorest counties in Mississippi were tested for the coronavirus by the state Department of Health over the past week as part of a new experimental initiative to slow the spread of the virus by community transmission. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said medical professionals went in with the goal to test every resident in Lexington, the Holmes County seat, where 2,000 people live. By identifying those who are asymptomatic, Dobbs said, officials hoped to limit cases of the virus being passed unknowingly from person to person. (Willingham, 8/10)

As US leaders work to control the spread of coronavirus, researchers across the country -- and globe -- are working to answer the mysteries that remain around infections. One of those mysteries: why the experience can be so vastly different from person to person. One expert says the answer may mean taking a closer look at previous vaccines individuals have had. (Maxouris, 8/11)

From the moment Covid-19 emerged as a threat, one approach to making drugs to treat or prevent the disease seemed to hold the most promise: They’re known as monoclonal antibodies. Now, scientists are on the brink of getting important data that may indicate whether these desperately needed therapies could be safe and effective. (Herper and Feuerstein, 8/11)

Inspired by a unique kind of infection-fighting antibody found in llamas, alpacas, and other camelids, a research team at the University of California, San Francisco, has synthesized a molecule that they say is among the most potent anti-coronavirus compounds tested in a lab to date. Called nanobodies because they are about a quarter of the size of antibodies found in people and most other animals, these molecules can nestle into the nooks and crannies of proteins to block viruses from attaching to and infecting cells. (McFarling, 8/11)