So far there is no evidence that infection with SARS-CoV-2 containing the G614 variant will lead to more
severe disease. By examining clinical data from 999 COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom,
Korber et al. (2020) found that patients infected with viruses containing G614 had higher levels of virus
RNA, but not did not find a difference in hospitalization outcomes. These clinical observations are
supported by two independent studies: 175 COVID-19 patients from Seattle, WA (Wagner et al., 2020)
and 88 COVID-19 patients from Chicago, IL (Lorenzo-Redondo et al., 2020). Viral load and disease
severity are not always correlated, particularly when viral RNA is used to estimate virus titer. The current
evidence suggests that D614G is less important for COVID-19 than other risk factors, such as age or
comorbidities.