A new coronavirus was recently discovered in men's semen even though they are recovering. Can it be transmitted through intercourse? According to CNN's latest report, the new coronavirus found in men's semen can persist even after they have started to recover. The Chinese researchers said last Thursday, May 7, that the result of the study raises the possibility of the virus being sexually transmitted.
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According to the report, 38 male patients were testes and treated by medical experts at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital during the height of the pandemic in China from January to February.
"We found that SARS-CoV-2 can be present in the semen of patients with COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2 may still be detected in the semen of recovering patients," said Diangeng, one of the medical experts of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing, on the report.
"Even if the virus cannot replicate in the male reproductive system, it may persist, possibly resulting from the privileged immunity of testes," added the team of researchers.
The privileged immunity is developed when the immune system cannot reach the region where the virus located.
New Coronavirus can persist in men's semen even they start to recover: Higher infection rate was recorded.
According to CNN, a new coronavirus was found in men's semen who have begun to recover from the infection caused by COVID-19. However, it was clarified that the results of the study were not surprising since many viral viruses can live in the male reproductive tract.
The report reiterated that sometimes months before a male patient had recovered, the likes of Zika and the Ebola virus can be both found spreading in the patient's semen. But, there is no strong evidence yet that states the COVID-19 can also spread the same way.
"If it could be proved that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted sexually in future studies, the sexual transmission might be a critical part of the prevention of transmission," explained by the team.
The researchers further explained that abstinence or condom could be used as preventive measures. However, since the SARS-Cov-2 can survive in men's semen, maintaining its likelihood to infect other people, avoiding contact with the patient's saliva and blood is not enough.
Meanwhile, a finding showed that the infection rate of COVID-19 is increasing. According to Independent's latest report, Professor Ian Diamond, a national statistician, said that the critical "R" rate, which is used to measure the coronavirus transmission rate, is on the rise again.
"That is driven by the epidemic in care homes. That gives us a real challenge," said Ian at Downing Street press conference.
If the reproduction rate of the coronavirus increases above 1, it means that each infected person can transmit COVID-19 to more than one individual on average. John Edmunds, a professor from the London School of Hygiene, said that the estimated "R" to be only just below one has increased up from 0.6 to 0.7 two weeks ago.
