A study discovered that those who do nose-picking are more likely to contract COVID. The study, which was published in PLOS One, looked at COVID infection rates among 219 healthcare workers at an Amsterdam hospital between March and October 2020.
COVID infections were more common among workers who picked their noses, according to researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Approximately 17.3% of nose pickers tested positive, compared to 5.9% of non-testing workers. “We, therefore, recommend health care facilities to create more awareness, e.g. by educational sessions or implementing recommendations against nose picking in infection prevention guidelines,” the authors recommended.
The researchers hypothesized that frequent nose-picking and nail-biting in an environment with high levels of circulating virus enhances virus transmission to the nasal or oral mucosa, or the inside of the mouth, including the cheeks and lips. They suggested this could transfer germs to the mucosa inside the nose.
Nose Picking behavior and demographics among healthcare workers
They didn’t find a link between contracting SARS-CoV-2, and people that bit their nails, wore glasses, or had a beard. The majority of individuals, 85%, acknowledged mistakenly picking their noses, with men and younger people being more likely to admit to the behavior. They also discovered that doctors were the most likely to report nose picking, followed by support employees and then nurses.
The study’s authors highlighted that picking of the nose had not before been documented as a risk factor for getting COVID. “Our findings highlight the importance of the nasal cavity as a main transit port for SARS-CoV-2,” the study noted. “Nose picking may facilitate viral entry by directly introducing virus particles present on the hands to the nose, thus facilitating infection.”
COVID is not something you can get by picking your nose. Picking your nose may boost your chance of Alzheimer’s disease and linked dementia, according to a 2022 study. Bacteria may travel via the nasal cavity’s olfactory nerve — streamlined through a pick — to reach the brain and create markers that are “a tell-tale sign of Alzheimer’s disease,” according to researchers from Australia’s Griffith University.