Stop picking your nose! It can increase risk of Covid, says new study

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

COVID, according to a study out today. The study was conducted in health workers. This raises two main questions. One, were these health workers washing their hands at work? Two, what does this study mean for the rest of us nose-pickers?

Some 219 Dutch health workers were monitored for COVID infection. They had regular antibody testing, which tells us if they had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. They also reported the results of their own COVID tests. Some 12-18 months later, the health workers were asked about their nose-picking habits, and exposure to COVID via symptomatic workmates or from contacts outside work. Just over 17 per cent of health workers who reported picking their nose caught COVID versus about 6 per cent of those who did not report nose picking. At first glance, it might appear feasible that people who pick their noses would be at increased risk of contracting COVID. That's because COVID infection relies on the SARS-CoV-2 virus coming into contact with mucous membranes that line the respiratory system, including those in the nose. So if someone touches a contaminated object or hand, then sticks their finger up their nose, this so-called fomite transmission can occur. But the risk is comparatively low. The United States Centres for Disease Control estimates about one in 10,000 contacts with a contaminated surface results in SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

But there are some odd results. For example, people who picked their noses only monthly had a higher chance of infection than daily nose pickers. Logically, you would expect the daily nose pickers to have a higher risk of infection due to more transmission opportunities. There were also several