Nose-picking health workers more likely to catch Covid, study suggests
The study found 17.3 per cent of nose pickers tested positive for Covid-19 compared to 5.9 per cent of those who did not pick their noses.
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Nose-picking, also known as rhinotillexis, has been found to dramatically increase the likelihood of catching Covid, according to a survey conducted on workers at Amsterdam University Medical Centres.
While the association may not come as a surprise, researchers found heightened significance in the sheer size of the increase in risk when compared to the limited impact of activities such as nail biting.
The authors of the report, published in the journal Plos One, found that 17.3 per cent of nose pickers tested positive for Covid-19 compared to 5.9 per cent of those who did not pick their noses.
Meanwhile, no association was detected between nail biting, wearing glasses or having a beard, with contracting the virus.
The study found no association was detected between nail biting, wearing glasses or having a beard, with contracting the virus.
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These findings of academics in the Netherlands might add some credence to the theory that proteins in saliva are effective at preventing the virus from entering the body’s cells.
The academics examined data on Covid-19 infection rates among 219 hospital workers in Amsterdam between March and October 2020.
They also conducted a retrospective survey about nose picking and other potential behaviours or physical features which could pose an infection risk.
They found that almost 85 per cent of participants reported picking their nose with a frequency ranging from daily to monthly, with men and younger people most likely to admit to the habit.
Police and security members in protective suits stand outside cordoned off food stores following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China March 29, 2022ReutersDoctors were identified as the most frequent nose pickers.
Meanwhile 67 per cent habitually wore glasses, 33 per cent habitually bit their nails, and among the 52 male participants, 16 had a beard.
The researchers said that 16 per cent, or 34 people, tested positive during the study period.
From these results, the study found that 17.3 per cent of nose pickers tested positive for Covid-19 compared to 5.9 per cent of those who did not pick their noses.
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Hundreds of thousands of families were impacted during the pandemicReutersWriting in the PLOS One journal, the authors wrote: “Nose picking among HCW is associated with an increased risk of contracting a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“We therefore recommend health care facilities to create more awareness, e.g. by educational sessions or implementing recommendations against nose picking in infection prevention guidelines.”
One of the academics working on the study, Dr Jonne Sikkens, did note: “We cannot rule out for instance, that [healthcare workers who don’t nose pick] are more hygienic people overall, and that other factors have led to this finding.”
It is also worth noting that the sample size was relatively small, was carried out before Covid vaccinations were available and before the rise of Omicron.
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