Scientists claim that the coronavirus could spread from dead people. Like a zombie in a horror film, the coronavirus can persist in the bodies of infected patients well after death, even spreading to others, according to two startling studies.
The risk of contagion is mainly to those who handle cadavers, like pathologists, medical examiners, and health care workers, and in settings like hospitals and nursing homes, where many deaths may occur.
While transmission from corpses is not likely to be a major factor in the pandemic, bereaved family members should exercise caution, experts said.
“In some countries, people who have died of Covid-19 are being left unattended or taken back to their homes,” said Hisako Saitoh, a researcher at Chiba University in Japan who published two recent studies on the phenomenon.
“Therefore, I think that it is a knowledge that the general public should be aware of,” he wrote in an email. Several studies have found traces of the infectious viruses in corpses for as long as 17 days after death. Dr. Saitoh and his colleagues went further, showing that dead bodies may carry significant amounts of infectious virus and that dead hamsters can transmit it to live cage mates.
As Scientists claim that the coronavirus could spread from dead people, the research has not yet been vetted for publication in a scientific journal, but outside experts said that the studies were well-done and the results compelling.
The risk of a live patient spreading the coronavirus is far greater than the potential transmission from corpses, Dr. Saitoh and other scientists emphasized.
If infection from corpses accounted for a large number of cases, “we would have noticed, right?” said Vincent Munster, a virologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Still, “If there is an infectious virus, there is always a risk for transmission,” he continued. “I don’t think it’s something which is often addressed.”
In the United States, bodies usually are embalmed soon after death or cremated. But in the Netherlands, where Dr. Munster grew up, as in many parts of the world, family members may wash and dress the bodies.
In July 2020, the Japanese government urged bereaved family members to keep their distance from dead bodies and refrain from touching them — or even viewing them. Officials also recommended sealing corpses in impermeable bags and cremating them within 24 hours.
