While it’s unknown as to how long the virus can survive in the body after death, Thailand scientists have identified the first coronavirus (COVID-19) fatality after spreading from a dead body.
Won Sriwijitalai, of the RVT Medical Center in Bangkok, and Viroj Wiwanitkit, of China’s Hainan Medical University, released their study, stating, “This is the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit.”
They add, “The disinfection procedure used in operation rooms might be applied in pathology/forensic units too. At present, there is no data on the exact number of COVID-19 contaminated corpses since it is not a routine practice to examine for COVID-19 in dead bodies in Thailand.” They suggest that forensic workers should “wear protective devices including a protective suit, gloves, goggles, cap and mask.”
Furthermore, health policy expert Summer Johnson McGee of the University of New Haven, says, “Anyone coming into contact with a COVID19 positive body, alive or dead, should be using personal protective equipment to prevent exposure. Autopsies and subsequent investigations present real risks for coroners to acquire COVID-19. We need to take care of the people who take care of the dead.”
