COVID-19 associated with icky habit

COVID-19 associated with icky habit


We’ve gotten lots of advice for staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. We washed our hands and wore masks. Some of us socially distanced or called in sick when we had the sniffles.

But here’s advice you probably didn’t hear: Don’t pick your nose.

Well, that’s always a good recommendation, especially when out in public. Now, research led by Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands shows refraining from nose-picking could be as sensible as any other precaution to prevent infection.

Investigators asked 219 health care workers whether they picked their noses, and an overwhelming majority admitted doing so, with 85% of them saying they did at least once a month.

The scientists, however, found the workers who were nose-pickers had a greater incidence of contracting COVID-19. About 17% of them got sick, compared with 6% of those who left their schnozzles alone.

Our fingers, of course, come into contact with germs when we touch different surfaces. It makes sense that we could transfer some of these bugs to our noses, where they enter the body and replicate.

But doctors say our mucous membrane also offers protection by trapping pathogens. Picking your nose can damage that membrane, opening us up to infection.

Researchers warn that the results do not constitute proof of a connection between nose-picking and coronavirus infection. But they say we need to be more mindful of not doing so, just in case.

Infectious disease specialists point out that in general, it’s a good idea to avoid touching your face too frequently, nostrils included. Why give viruses and bacteria a free ride?

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