The coronavirus pandemic has left couples quarantined for weeks, and a lot of people are concerned about doing intimate activities amid the COVID-19 outbreak. But a new study shows that people have nothing to worry because the virus is not transmitted through sex.
Having sex is safe amid pandemic
The researchers from the University of Utah Health have found a piece of new evidence that the virus does not show up in the semen or testes of men. According to the co-author of the study, Dr. James Hotaling said that the fact that in the preliminary study it appears the virus that causes COVID-19 does not show up in the semen or the testes could be an important finding.
If a disease like COVID-19 were transmittable through sexual intercourse, then that would have major implications for disease prevention and it could have serious consequences for a man's long-term reproductive health.
In the said study, the researchers collected semen samples from 34 Chinese men just a month after they were diagnosed with coronavirus. The lab tests did not detect the virus in any of the 34 semen samples, while a genetic analysis of the samples found that it was highly unlikely that the virus invades the testicular cells of men.
Despite the findings in the study, the researchers acknowledge that the same may not be true for those who are severely ill with COVID-19. Dr. Hoteling added that it could be that a man who is critically ill with COVID-19 might have a higher viral load, which means it could lead to a greater likelihood of infecting the semen. Researchers do not have the answer to that right now.
Dr. Hoteling also said that knowing that the researchers did not find that kind of activity among the 34 patients in the study who were recovering from mild to moderate forms of the disease means it is safe to have sex. However, even if the virus can't be transmitted through sexual intercourse, it can spread through kissing.
Dr. Simran Deo, a doctor at Zava UK, urged people to avoid kissing and sharing food and drinks. She stated that conditions like coronavirus are spread through water or mucus droplets from the nose and mouth containing the virus. This means that kissing, shaking hands, and sharing food and drink with someone put people at increased risk of passing on the infection.
How the virus can be transmitted
The main modes of transmission for COVID-19 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC are respiratory transmission, aerosol transmission, and contact transmission.
The COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, which means it is transmitted between people through respiratory droplets when symptomatic people cough or sneezes. This is the reason why the CDC advised the public to practice social distancing of at least 6 feet.
People can also emit virus particles in a range of sizes, like aerosols or fine particles that can stay suspended in the air for up to 3 hours and it can travel by air currents across tens of feet.
And lastly, the virus can be transmitted when you touch your mouth, eyes, or nose. The virus sneaks into the body through the mucous membranes, thus causing the infection.
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