Coronavirus May Infect Saliva in the Mouth

A non-peer-reviewed study published on October 27, 2020, found saliva from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals contained epithelial cells exhibiting ACE2 expression and SARS-CoV-2 RNA. And nasopharyngeal and saliva samples found distinct viral shedding dynamics and viral burden in saliva correlated with COVID-19 symptoms, including taste loss.

This research indicates SARS-CoV-2 can infect cells in the mouth, which may spur the virus's spread to other people.