Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor:  Joseph Golder,  Agency: Newsflash

One of Russia’s top doctors has claimed that coronavirus is sexually transmitted and advised people not to have sex during the outbreak.

Chief urologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, Dmitry Pushkar, 56, advised citizens to avoid having sex during the COVID-19 pandemic as the virus is “sexually transmitted”.

Speaking on Russian television he said: “Coronavirus is sexually transmitted, for sure. But we are well aware that when it comes to intimacy, the sexual route is not the most important.

“Although, of, course, you also need to think about this, especially while staying home under quarantine.”

When asked about the danger of COVID-19 for pregnant women, the Russian Ministry of Health had said that each case depends on the period of the pregnancy at which the future mother became infected, the severity of the disease and the mother’s general health condition.

Despite the fact that there have already been cases when a woman in labour was infected and coronavirus was then detected in the newborn baby, it remains unknown if there will be negative consequences for a foetus.

The Guardian have quoted Dr Jessica Justman, a professor and attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, as saying: “We’re not seeing patterns that indicate sexual transmission. It’s primarily spread through respiratory droplets. And touching contaminated surfaces is thought to be the secondary mode of transmission.”

The Guardian also quoted Dr Carlos E. Rodriguez-Diaz, a professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, as saying: “There is no evidence that the Covid-19 can be transmitted via either vaginal or anal intercourse.

“However, kissing is a very common practice during sexual intercourse, and the virus can be transmitted via saliva. Therefore, the virus can be transmitted by kissing. There is also evidence of oral-faecal transmission of the Covid-19 and that implies that analingus may represent a risk for infection.”

There are 2,777 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Russia with 24 deaths and 190 recovered, according to the latest figures from the John Hopkins University.

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