Eyes are a gateway into the body for coronavirus, according to scientists

The eyes are a target for the coronavirus according to scientists after finding they contain a protein used by the infection to bind to cells.

SARS-CoV-2 seemingly latches onto ACE-2 receptors found in the respiratory tract and the lungs – and now apparently the eyes – making its way into cells inside the body.

The researchers, led by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have determined that  if droplets from an infected person’s sneeze or cough land on the surface of the eye, the virus could begin infiltrating cells there.

And tears may serve as a spread of infection, added the scientists.

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Lizzie Day

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