[EvaH (OP)]

Mike wants to know:

I keep being told that clinicians tend to get a more severe illness, because of their greater exposure to the virus. I could intuitively see that they might develop the illness more quickly, but why more severely? Is it possible that if, when initially infected, the virus gets into your lungs, you tend to develop a more severe version of the illness? Compared to if the virus starts in your nose, eyes, etc?

What do you think?

[alancalverd]

It is entirely reasonable that the severity of illness may be related to the intensity of first exposure to the virus - this is after all the underlying principle of immunisation. Thus a person working every day in an intensely infectious  environment may contract an overwhelming dose (Blitzkrieg)  whilst someone who has just sniffed a couple of droplets (guerrilla) could develop a sufficient antibody response to repel the infection.   

[set fair]

It is well known with bacterial infections that a higher innoculum leads to more severe illness. The sugestion is that this is also the case with SARS CoV 2. As far as I know there have been no studies showing this to be the case. The severity in doctors could be affected by the long hours and stress they endure during the presymptomatic period.