"COVID-19 Infects More Easily Through the Nose" Warning on Increased 'Tukseukeu' Use Amid Heatwave

Analysis of COVID-19 Virus Infection Routes by US Researchers
"Much More Easily Infected Through the Nose Than Other Areas"

On the 21st, when social distancing level 2 measures were in effect, customers wearing masks and those without masks were spending time at a cafe in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] As the weather has recently become hotter, the number of people wearing masks below the nose, so-called 'Tuksseuk' (mask worn on the chin), is increasing. However, a study has found that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is most likely to infect through the nose, so masks should be worn covering the nose as well.

According to a report by the US ABC News on the 25th (local time), researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed the infection route of the COVID-19 virus using fluorescent proteins.

The analysis confirmed that the COVID-19 virus infects most effectively through the nose. The researchers explained that the body receptor (ACE2), which the virus binds to when invading and proliferating in human cells, is much more abundant in the nose than in other areas such as the throat.

They also found that the virus entering through the nose spreads to the throat, bronchi, and lungs through inhalation, making the nose the "main gateway" for the virus.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), is demonstrating the correct way to wear a mask during a regular briefing on the 17th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Experts emphasized that since the nose is the source of all viral diseases, proper mask-wearing is crucial.

Richard Boucher, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said, "COVID-19 takes root by using the nose as fertile ground. Infection is likely to start in the nose," adding, "The exhaled breath from an infected person's nose may contain more particles capable of infecting others than the breath exhaled from the mouth."

He further stressed, "Masks must cover the nose both indoors and outdoors."

Todd Ellerin, an infectious disease expert in the US, said, "People seem to expose their noses because it is uncomfortable to breathe when wearing masks," but emphasized, "The nose is the first stage of infection. Proper mask-wearing is important."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.