Viral load can also refer to how much of a virus you are exposed to.
Let's take a cold as an example. Child A brings it home from school and is not very sick. Child Bee is out next, a little sicker. Working Mom gets it and whines quite a bit. Who gets sickest? HouseDad is exposed to the highest viral load and gets really really ill.
This is why the people who have Covid-19 are supposed to isolate from the other people in their house. It lowers the viral load.
And this is why, if you insist on not getting vaccinated, at least WEAR THE DAMN MASK. Then if you get it, you will get a lower viral load and get less sick.
Get it?