“The dramatic rise in cases in recent weeks is part of the latest wave of infections sweeping through the Midwest and Northeast, where hospitalizations have also spiked. More than 53,000 people nationwide were being treated in hospitals for COVID-19 as of Thursday – a figure not seen since early August.” Meanwhile, back at the disaster, New Daily U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump Nearly 20%, Hitting Almost 122,000.

+ Even if you’re asymptomatic, COVID-19 can harm your heart, study shows – here’s what student athletes need to know.

+ “If the spray, which the scientists described as nontoxic and stable, is proved to work in humans, it could provide a new way of fighting the pandemic. A daily spritz up the nose would act like a vaccine. ‘Having something new that works against the coronavirus is exciting,’ said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, the chairman of immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. ‘I could imagine this being part of the arsenal.'” Donald G. McNeil Jr. in the NYT: Nasal Spray Prevents Covid Infection in Ferrets, Study Finds. At least ferrets can rest a little easier.