BENGALURU: While it’s known that the upper airways and lungs are sites of Covid-19 infection, and that the virus can infect various parts of body such as the digestive system, blood vessels and kidneys, a new study by an international team of experts has revealed that the Novel Coronavirus infects the mouth cells which causes dryness in the mouth, loss of taste and blisters.
Health professionals in Karnataka concur with the findings.
The study was published in Nature Medicine on March 25.
“The potential of the virus to infect multiple areas of the body might help explain the wide-ranging symptoms experienced by Covid-19 patients, including oral symptoms such as taste loss, dry mouth and blistering. Moreover, the findings point to the possibility that the mouth plays a role in transmitting SARS-CoV2 to the lungs or digestive system via saliva laden with virus from infected oral cells,” the study says.
Dr Sharon Colaco Dias, HoD and Consultant, Dental Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, pointed out that she had seen a Covid-19 case where the patient had blisters in the soft palate.
“Covid-19 has been associated with vascular irregularities due to viral damage of blood vessels. The virus gains entry into the endothelial cells that line blood vessels via the ACE2 receptor and damages them, leading to oxygen deprivation. Tissue necrosis, including blisters, can be the result of vessel damage. Case reports have been cited in the literature that show confirmed Covid-19 patients having oral ulcerations that were suspected to be caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus.”
To determine if the virus in the saliva is infectious, the researchers exposed saliva of eight asymptomatic Covid patients to healthy cells grown in a dish.
KIDS NOW MORE VULNERABLE TO CATCHING COVID: EXPERTS
Monday's meeting, convened by the CM, assumes importance at a time when the government has restricted wedding crowds to just 200 and imposed curbs on public gatherings during the upcoming festival season.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Jawaid Akhtar said, “Our testing is among the highest in the country and our target is 1.25 lakh per day. We have been testing aggressively.’’
While the Technical Advisory Committee has suggested tough restrictions, sources said there are some powerful forces which are opposing restrictions on theatres, malls and gyms.
If the Technical Advisory Committee recommendations are enforced, there will be no problem, but not all recommendations have been enforced, the sources pointed out.
The concerns over the virus spread are real, specially considering the rise in numbers.
Correspondingly, the recovery rate, which had been impressively rising from a dismal 35.29 per cent on July 20, 2020, is now seeing a consistent decline over the last over 10 days.
It stands at 96.39 per cent after having reached upwards of 97 per cent in January-February.
It is mainly due to the large number of daily tests being conducted that the positivity rate is showing a steady decline over the last few months. It is 4.67 per cent on Sunday as compared to the peak of positivity rate at 12.54 per cent on September 27, 2020.
Although it is much below that of Maharastra (14 per cent), Goa (10.7 per cent), and Ladakh (9.1 per cent), experts insist on the need to follow all the precautionary measures and avoid social gatherings, especially with the second wave expected would be worse than the first.
Sudhakar clarified that the Centre has said inter-state borders cannot be closed, but RT-PCR negative reports will be checked at border districts. Students from Classes 1 to 9 will be promoted without exams, he added.
This apart, in the second wave, it is noticed that the children are the ones who have been getting infected largely.
Over 470 children below the age of 10 have been infected with Covid-19 since early this month in Bengaluru, as the city is witnessing a spike in infections.
A total of 244 boys and 228 girls have been infected from March 1 to 26, official data showed.
The cases among children were limited to eight to nine daily during the early days of this month, but they have steadily risen to 46 on March 26. Some experts say, unlike in the past, children are now vulnerable because they are more exposed to outdoor activities, functions and gatherings, as also schools reopening for a certain age group, which was not the case earlier due to lockdowns.
But Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Group of Hospitals, said, “During March last year, we needed a lockdown, but we do not need another one now. We need to vaccinate those in the 20-45 age group.’’
Kalaburgi district recorded the second highest number of new cases at 159 followed by Udupi with 115 cases and Mysuru with 114 cases. Dakshina Kannada recorded 68 cases followed by Hassan with 56 positives and Bidar with 63 cases.