All Posts Tagged as 'Spit'

Early results of a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest that coronavirus can be transmitted through the air from tiny saliva droplets that are expelled when people speak.

Although the research is yet to be published or peer reviewed, the preliminary findings could have major implications in developing strategies for halting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Monday letter from the study's authors.

"Further studies are needed to assess the viral titer [concentrations] present in speech-induced droplets in asymptomatic COVID-19 positive persons, but our results suggest that speaking can indeed be a major mode of SARS-CoV-2 transmission," wrote the researchers.

The study used laser imaging to detect thousands of droplets ejected when a person said the words "stay healthy." Researchers said that although droplets produced during speech are tiny, they can transmit a broad range of respiratory diseases. Speech is also said to produce more droplets than coughing, which may be a more obvious mode of transmission.

"Droplets emitted while speaking are much smaller than those emitted when coughing or sneezing," the researchers wrote. "Nonetheless they are sufficiently large to carry a variety of respiratory pathogens, including the measles virus, influenza virus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Moreover, multiple studies have shown that speaking actually produces significantly more droplets than coughing."

Spit guards should be carried by all frontline police to protect officers from thugs spitting and coughing at them during the coronavirus pandemic, a senior figure has demanded.

Sergeant Simon Kempton, the operational lead for Covid-19 at the Police Federation, told MPs the virus was being 'weaponised' by criminals after dozens of such assaults in recent weeks.

He said: 'Now more than ever, while Covid-19 is being weaponised, we need those spit guards in the pocket of every single police officer, not just in custody, on the street as well.'