American Heart Association

Dr. Philip Adamson is chief medical officer of Abbott’s heart failure business [Photo courtesy of Abbott]

We still don’t fully understand why the SARS-CoV-2 virus is so transmissible and causes severe disease in some people but not others.

But Dr. Philip Adamson, chief medical officer of Abbott’s heart failure business, said he’s amazed by how quickly we’re learning about COVID-19, building off our prior knowledge of coronaviruses and other viral pathogens.

“We have more of a handle on the mechanisms, and that’s where I think we are beginning to have hope for clarity,” he said. “In just about every disease that we are able to treat, we develop those treatments because we understand the fundamental mechanism of the disease.”

Adamson warned of increasing rates of heart and lung failure due to COVID-19 when Medical Design & Outsourcing interviewed h…

Dr. Philip Adamson is chief medical officer of Abbott’s heart failure business [Photo courtesy of Abbott]

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we know more than ever about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and how quickly it moves to ravage the human body.

What remains to be seen is how the virus — and perhaps more importantly, our immune system’s response to it — will affect the health of people long after infection, even in mild cases. This once-in-a-century pandemic that has already killed millions across the globe could leave hundreds of millions more with chronic conditions varying in acuity.

“Not only is the viral infection bad for some people, but the subsequent body’s reaction to the viral illness in many people is remarkable. I personally have never seen anything like it,” said Dr. Philip Adamson, chief medical officer of Abbott’s heart failure business. “I’ve lived throu…