The study, detailed Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine, may explain why so many infected people lose their sense of taste and suggest that the mouth is an important source of Covid-19 spread. Saliva tests were previously known to be a good way to detect infection, but researchers had not looked at why.
“When swallowing infected saliva or inhaling small particles, we believe it can transmit more SARS-CoV-2 to the throat, lungs or even the intestines,” said Dr. Kevin Byrd of the American Dental Association Science and the Research Institute, which worked on the study.
The mouth, nose, paranasal sinuses, throat and lungs are connected and the virus can spread to all those regions of the mucus that drains or coughs. They checked oral tissue samples from people who died of Covid-19 and found the virus in about half of the salivary glands they tested.
The study also found evidence that people who give negative tests after a nasal swab sometimes continue to test positive in a saliva test, noting that even if the virus is removed from the nasopharynx (the upper part of throat behind the nose) could persist in saliva.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED.
Q. Can pregnant or lactating women receive a vaccine against Covid-19?
A. It depends on the country where you are. In many parts of the world, Covid-19 vaccines are not available for pregnant women and it is recommended that breastfeeding women not be inoculated due to the lack of data on these groups. In the United States, the CDC has not advised pregnant and lactating women to take the vaccine, but allows them to access it, arguing that it is the woman’s decision on how to balance the benefits and risks.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
Dangerous variants can mean that “all bets are off” on the U.S. recovery
An increase in the number of infections in several states “tells us when we have a more contagious variant that all bets are off because it means that activities we thought were quite low will now have a higher risk,” the medical analyst said. from CNN, Dr. Leana Wen told Anderson Cooper on CNN on Thursday.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also warned on NBC’s “Today” show that the U.S. “continues to see about 1,000 deaths a day,” which is “too much.”
President Joe Biden doubles the vaccine target for the first 100 days
“I know it’s ambitious, double our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close, not even close to what we’re doing. I think we can do that,” Biden said.
EU summit falls into dispute as leaders pressure AstraZeneca and UK
European Union leaders at the virtual meeting confirmed their plans to allow a ban on vaccine exports in some situations to prevent doses from coming off the shores of the bloc as it struggles to deploy a widespread vaccination program .
ON OUR RADAR
- Do you dream of having a margarita in Mexico? You can visit I Miss My Bar, an interactive website that brings the atmosphere of the Maverick Bar to the city of Monterrey.
- Seychelles officials are making all stops to ensure travelers can return quickly and, most importantly, safely.
- Some workplaces, schools, and hospitality centers may require vaccination certificates to allow entry. Rutgers University is one of the first in the United States to require vaccines for students this fall.
- Covid has a color, writes Catherine Powell. The pandemic has highlighted a number of underlying racial inequalities, including labor inequality, exacerbated by the health crisis and the emerging economy of staying at home.
- The U.S. government has stopped distributing Covid-19 antibody treatment developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, as authorities say the therapy alone may not work as well against new variants.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“Only once this period has really passed in which we have tried very hard to improve voluntary recruitment should we begin to think that mandates were necessary and appropriate.” – Emily Largent, lawyer and adjunct professor of medical ethics.