"Bedroom preventive measures" are a thing, as Harvard researchers claim that having intercourse could spread the coronavirus. The scientists urge people to take precautions when getting intimate by avoiding kissing, showering before and after the deed, and even wearing masks while in action.
In the study, the authors ranked different sexual plots based on how likely a person is to catch the virus during copulation. "Low risk" sexual activities included masturbation and abstinence while intercourse between people within a household or with people from other homes ranked as "high risk."
Mirror reports that although researchers acknowledge that not everyone can abstain from doing the deed, they are urging people to observe preventive measures to reduce the risk of further spreading the virus.
The study's findings were published in the clinical journal Annals of Internal Medicine on May 8, 2020. The study came shortly after a specialist claimed that patients who recovered from COVID-19 should avoid sex for about a month.
Veerawat Manosutthi, a senior medical expert from the Thai Disease Control Department, has urged patients who have been affected by COVID-19 to avoid getting intimate for about 30 days. Furthermore, Manosutthi warned that even kissing should be avoided.
Being Frisky is Risky
Dr. Jack Turban, the lead author, wrote in the study that complete abstinence from sexual activity with an actual person is not an achievable goal for some people. Moreover, he adds that having sex with people self-quarantining with them would be the safest way.
Nevertheless, for those people who could not use the approach, he advises them to look into risk reduction counseling. He vouches for the method to be proven effective in other domains of sexual health.
Additionally, Turban says information should be made available to patients about measures on how to rescue the risk for other sexually transmitted infections.
Contraceptive use should also be continued during this time of the pandemic, especially with many people staying at home, to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
See Men, Even Semen Can Transmit the Virus
In an interview with Khaosod English, Manosutthi said people who think themselves as being free of the virus should still use condoms when having sex. Furthermore, he advises against kissing since the virus could also spread through the mouth.
Manosutthi's advice comes from a recent study that discovered that some men have hints of the virus in their semen. In the study, researchers from Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in China's Henan province took semen samples from 38 male coronavirus patients.
The researchers examined the samples on January 26 and again on February 16. Ultimately, they found that 16 percent of the men had traces of the coronavirus in their semen. The authors wrote that the presence of viruses in semen could be more common than most people think.
Furthermore, traditional nonsexually transmitted viruses should not be taken for granted and should not be assumed to be completely absent in genital secretions. The findings of the study were published in the clinical journal JAMA on May 7, 2020.
