Coronavirus: can you bathe without risk of contracting the virus? : Current Woman Le MAG

Summer vacation is fast approaching. The desire to swim is felt especially in the south of France. Since the start of deconfinement on May 11, the beaches have continued to reopen, especially in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coast. In this period of health crisis, studies on the behavior of Covid-19 in the aquatic environment have gradually emerged. Can you really swim safely in the sea? The teams of Soizick Le Guyader, virologist at Ifmer in Nantes, looked into the issue and published research results on Monday, May 18, concerning the presence of the virus in seawater. reassuring news on the subject.

Tests to detect coronavirus

After analyzing shellfish, the researcher discussed the absence of the virus in these molluscs. However, they had been recovered from partially contaminated areas. "At the moment, in the shells, we have never detected a trace of Covid-19. Especially since for this study, we put ourselves in areas very contaminated by the discharge of wastewater, so we maximized the chances of finding the virus ", explained Soizick Le Guyader at the microphoneEurope 1, Thursday, May 21. "SARS-CoV-2 remains very little rejected in the stool. A small percentage of the population has been infected. The wastewater is treated and even if it gets dirty down to the sea, it is then greatly diluted. " However, the researcher prefers to remain cautious. It recalls that these samples were taken during the confinement period. We will therefore have to wait a little longer to see if the results have changed since the lifting of the restrictive measures.

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