First Case of COVID-19 Spreading From Infected Dead Body Reported in Thailand

*As the coronavirus pandemic continues to plague the world, scientists have discovered that the potentially deadly contagion can be contracted from a previously infected dead body.

BuzzFeed News reports of the first case and death from COVID-19 that was transmitted from a corpse to a medical examiner working in Thailand.

“This is the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a Forensic Medicine unit,” the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine said in a study released on Sunday.

Scientists claim they are not sure how long the coronavirus can survive in dead bodies or how it is transmitted once the person is deceased. Healthcare workers are now at an increased risk of contracting the illness, Complex reports. 

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A medical professional in Thailand was infected with coronavirus while working with a corpse – apparently the first known case of the virus spreading from a dead body, according to letter in a medical journal. More information: https://t.co/PNRDk6AEGH pic.twitter.com/4mEcrzLhNK

— WebMD (@WebMD) April 14, 2020

“Not just the medical examiners, but morgue technicians and the people in funeral homes need to take extra care,” a professor of pathology at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Angelique Corthals, told Buzzfeed. “It is a real concern.”

Worldwide, there are reportedly 1,934,583 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 120,863 deaths.

“Anyone coming into contact with a COVID19 positive body, alive or dead, should be using personal protective equipment to prevent exposure,” the University of New Haven’s Summer Johnson McGee explained.

Personnel who handle the dead will now have to take extra precautions on how victims are adequately stored.

According to Reuters, Thailand reported 30 new coronavirus cases and 2 deaths on Wednesday. Since January, the country has reported a total of 2,643 cases and 43 fatalities. 

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