COVID may spread from corpses, scientists report

The majority of persons at risk of contracting the disease are those who work with corpses, such as pathologists, medical examiners, and healthcare professionals, as well as in environments where frequent deaths may occur, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Although it is unlikely that transmission from corpses would play a significant role in the pandemic, devastated family members should take precautions, according to scientists.

Hisako Saitoh, a researcher at Chiba University in Japan and author of two recent studies on the issue, became interested in what happens to the virus in the body after death. He and his colleagues examined lung and nose samples from 11 COVID fatality victims. Even 13 days after death, the researchers discovered that substantial levels of virus were still present in six of the 11 corpses. Infectious titers were maintained at the same high levels as in clinical patients, which surprised Saitoh. The outcomes were of the animal tests, however, were the most unexpected.

In those tests, he and his coworkers discovered that hamsters who passed away just a few days after contracting the coronavirus might spread it to other animals. Contagion in people is more likely when a patient passes very quickly after infection, when virus levels in the body are quite high, according to the study.

Saitoh claimed that COVID-19 fatality victims are sometimes left unattended or returned to their homes. He stated in an email, "Therefore, I think that it is information that the whole public should be aware of."

Infectious virus remnants have been discovered in dead bodies up to 17 days after death, according to several investigations. Saitoh and his associates went one step further, demonstrating that deceased hamsters can spread the virus to live cage mates and that dead bodies may contain sizable amounts of infectious virus. Although the research has not yet been approved for publishing in a scholarly journal, outside experts praised the quality of the studies and the impact of the findings.

In comparison to the upper respiratory tract, the scientists discovered more virus in the lungs of human corpses. This implies that those conducting autopsy should handle the lungs with special caution, according to doctors. Saitoh cited a research from Thailand that detailed a forensic expert who looked to have contracted the disease while at work.

Bodies are often either burned or embalmed in the United States and India shortly after death. However, family members are allowed to wash and clothe the bodies in many cultures around the world.

Saitoh and other researchers stressed that the risk of a living patient transmitting the coronavirus is far higher than that of a corpse. Vincent Munster, a virus expert at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated that if infection from corpses was the cause of a significant number of cases, "we would have recognised, right?"

"Most people still need to be concerned about contracting COVID from living neighbours rather than just passed away ones", they said.

However, "There is always a potential for transmission if there is an infectious virus," he continued. "I don't believe it's a topic that is frequently discussed.

The Japanese government recommended mourning family members to avoid touching or even viewing dead bodies and to keep their distance from them in July 2020. Additionally, officials advised cremating bodies within 24 hours after death after placing them in impermeable bags. In May 2022, the regulations were changed to permit family members to visit loved ones who had passed away from COVID, but only "in a suitably infection-controlled hospital room."

The scientists were at first dubious of the coronavirus's ability to transmit from dead bodies, but now considering the recent findings, precautionary measures in cremating the bodies should be taken.

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