Could Simultaneous Nasal and Oral Irrigation Be a Nontherapeutic Tool against SARS-CoV-2?

ACS Chem Neurosci. 2021 Jan 6;12(1):2-4. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00740. Epub 2020 Dec 18.

Abstract

For the last 8 months, COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been hovering over the planet as a pandemic, and there is no sign of this virus going away anytime soon. In the meantime, life must go on, businesses must remain open, manufacturing must flow smoothly to fulfill consumers' daily demands, and education cannot be halted. Simultaneously, the frontline workers like doctors, nurses, support staff, and other essential workers are working tirelessly in their respective fields in the absence of a widely available effective vaccine. The question is: What should every citizen who needs to venture out to fulfill their daily business do in addition to wearing a mask, handwashing, and physical distancing? Could we add simultaneous nasal and oral irrigation as a nontherapeutic practice to our personal care list as an additional preventative layer?

Keywords: COVID-19; nasal irrigation; oral irrigation; pandemic; personal care; viral load.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Hygiene
  • Mouth Mucosa
  • Mouth*
  • Nasal Cavity*
  • Nasal Lavage / methods*
  • Nasal Mucosa
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Therapeutic Irrigation / methods