I recommend that people keep their pants on about this story! And they shouldn’t get their knickers in a twist! There’s an amusing side to it but also a potentially serious aspect. The Jakarta Post tells me that Covid-19 might be transmitted through farts – the passing of wind to put it more politely. Research was conducted on cats and dogs. Swab tests were taken through the anus rather than throat and nose. This sort of swab test is normal, apparently.
The research found that the virus can be transmitted through the respiratory system or digestive system depending on the host. In short, the research suggested that the coronavirus could be spread through farts and faeces although at this time there is no scientific evidence that flatulence by itself is posing a risk of Covid-19 transmission. It is, however, admitted that the coronavirus is hard to predict.
An Australian doctor, Andy Tagg, said that farts could spread the coronavirus and that the virus had been found in the faeces of 55% of Covid-19 patients. He referred to “aerosolised faeces” among fart gases which could spread the virus. This sounds quite disgusting, I admit. But it is also quite interesting. The reality of life is often far grizzlier than we care to admit.
So farts CAN have the power to spray talc long distances. And, in terms of size, a particle of talcum powder is 5 times bigger than a 5-micron aerosol droplet.https://t.co/edsb7rRg8u pic.twitter.com/IQVsocx3zb
— Andrew Tagg (@andrewjtagg) April 6, 2020
This is an embedded tweet from Twitter. It might disappear over time. I have no control over that possibility. Sorry.
The conclusion that I can present on this page is that this information is nothing to get excited about. I’m writing about it because it is quite interesting in a perverse way and there is a reference to cats and dogs being tested. I would not envisage, however, people getting the virus from the farts of their cats! That would seem to be highly unlikely at the very least but it did cross my mind while writing this.
