Coronavirus: Doctor's advice on kissing and sharing toothbrushes

This week, coronavirus cases in the UK surpassed 430, leading to widespread panic about the spread of the disease.

From regular hand washing to avoiding close contact, there are several preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of catching the virus.

However, one doctor has now warned that some couples may inadvertently be increasing their risk of the disease while at home.

Speaking to Mirror Online, Dr Simran Deo, a UK-based doctor at Zava UK, urged Brits to avoid kissing and sharing food and drinks.

She explained: “Conditions like coronavirus are spread through water or mucus droplets from the nose and mouth containing the virus.

So things like kissing, shaking hands and sharing food and drink with someone put people at increased risk of passing on the infection."

Meanwhile, Dr Deo added that if you share a toothbrush with your partner, it may be a good idea to invest in two new brushes.

She added: “Sharing a toothbrush definitely isn’t a good idea: toothbrushes can be covered in all sorts of germs from your mouth such as bacteria and viruses which will remain on its surface ready to pass onto the next person if the toothbrush is shared."