Covid-19 can be sexually transmitted: Study

Team Udayavani, May 9, 2020, 12:40 PM IST

Experts and scientists around the world are still trying to figure out about the way new coronavirus spreads. Earlier, Covid-19 was found in blood, urine and stool samples. Now, it has been found that Covid-19 virus can  also be sexually transmitted.

The study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, was conducted by doctors at China’s Shangqiu Municipal Hospital on 38 men hospitalised with COVID-19. Doctors analyzed the sperm of 38 men and found coronavirus in some of their semen.

The results showed a total of 38 patients were enrolled for semen testing. Of these, 23 participants had recovered and 15 were at the acute stage of infection. Tests found that 6 patients had positive results for Covid-19, including 4 of 15 patients  who were at the acute stage of infection, and 2 of 23 patients  who were recovering.

The study was based on a small sample size, further studies are required with respect to the detailed information about virus shedding, survival time, and concentration in semen. However, the study proves that the disease could be transmitted human-to-human beyond respiratory droplets and contact.