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COVID-19 Sex

Is it Still Safe to Have Sex During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

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The Oregon Health Authority wants you to know that at a time when Oregonians are spending more time than ever at home, they  imagine you may be wondering “Is it still safe to have sex?”


Above: Two men in face masks working out in the park during a coronavirus lockdown. Photo by Kate Trifo on Unsplash.

In short – Yes.  You can still have sex but with precautions.

Them magazine asked how queer people are getting off by staying in, saying: “The aim is to limit the amount of people that you are coming into close contact with,” advised Peter Meacher, MD, chief medical officer at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, over email. Restricting sexual activity to your live-in partner is certainly better than having multiple encounters outside your home, or even an exclusive hookup that involves back-and-forth travel, according to Meacher. “For people who have a partner or someone they have sex with often, it might make the most sense to co-habitate for the time being, if possible,” Meacher suggests. “We really recommend as much as possible not engaging with multiple new partners right now,” he says. “We understand that can be a very difficult decision and don’t take it lightly, but the focus here is harm reduction.”

The New York Times  asked for readers’ questions about sex and the coronavirus. “Common queries involved the levels of precautions that one could theoretically take to reduce exposure during sex. But don’t worry: It’s hard to imagine we’ll all have to have sex in decontamination suits with appropriate cutouts going forward.”

“What if I use an N95 mask?” a few of you asked. Please don’t. Health care workers are putting themselves at risk to provide medical care because they don’t have enough of this equipment. If you have a stash of N95s, the sexiest thing to do is to donate them to your local hospital.

One question posed the following:

I’ve read that the protease inhibitor in PrEP protects against coronavirus. Does that mean people on PrEP (or H.I.V.-positive people using the same medications as part of their treatment) can continue to have sex without being as worried? — Nate, 39, London No. There is no evidence to suggest the medications in PrEP are useful in protecting against coronavirus. PrEP, otherwise known as the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for H.I.V., involves taking two medications — tenofovir and emtricitabine — every day to protect against H.I.V. exposure from sexual activity. Truvada and Descovy are the two FDA-approved names for this combination of medications. These two medications may also be taken as part of a treatment regimen for people living with H.I.V. Tenofovir and emtricitabine inhibit the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which is used by H.I.V. to make more copies of itself but is not used by coronaviruses. Just as not all antibiotics work for all bacteria, not all antiviral medications work for all viruses. The confusion is understandable considering that two other medications used for H.I.V. — lopinavir and ritonavir, which act on the enzyme proteasehave been investigated as treatment for Covid-19. The first publication did not show benefit, but other research in continuing.

In the meantime, I would assume nothing but distance and hand-washing can protect us against Covid-19, while masks may help us protect others.

Read more questions and answers here and check out the handy chart below.

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