Meanwhile, Australian emergency physician Dr. Andy Tagg also floated the question via Twitter, asking, “So, can the bottom-based emissions of someone with coronavirus be silent and deadly?”

Tagg pondered whether flatulence itself is an “aerosol-generating procedure.” (His determination: yes.) A recent study, in fact, suggested a post-flush toilet plume could even be cause for concern when it comes to spreading the coronavirus via “aerosolized feces.” Plus, scientists have confirmed that fecal-oral transmission itself is an issue due to the presence of the virus in poop that is why health officials in Oregon and New York have even cautioned against oral contact with feces during sex.

Unfortunately, as Tagg observed, there is “not a great deal of research” available to come to a firm conclusion about the perils of passing COVID-19 while passing gas.