A Medical Worker Died Of CO.VID-19 In Thailand After Handling Dead Bodies, First Known Case In The World

Thailand has had the first dead COVID-19 patient after catching the virus from a dead body, according to scientists in the country.

According to the letter reporting the case on Saturday, this is the first COVID-19 infection and death case among medical workers in a Forensic Medicine unit. The letter was written by RVT Medical Center’s Won Sriwijitalai, Thailand, and Hainan Medical University’s Viroj Wiwanitkit, China.

This appears to be the first known COVID-19 cases showing a virus transmission between a living person and a dead patient from anywhere in the world. The victim in question is a male forensic practitioner in Bangkok, no other details were revealed.

For now, scientists cannot confirm how long SARS-CoV-2 can live on a dead patient’s body, and like most other countries, Thailand doesn’t examine dead bodies for the virus so there’s no telling how many dead patients out there still contain the living virus. The authors wrote:

“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.”

The authors added that forensic professionals responsible for post-mortem work wear personal protective equipment including a mask, cap, goggles, gloves, and a protective suit.

The authors believe that the worker in question died because he had contact with dead bodies, saying that forensic professionals unlikely meet living patients, only biological samples and corpses. But they suggested that forensic professionals should undergo the same disinfection protocols as doctors and nurses on the frontline.

It’s stated in WHO’s official guidelines that the chance of virus transmission from dead bodies is low as most viruses don’t survive long after a patient dies. But the Public Health England advised healthcare workers working for NHS (National Health Service) that the risk is real. On March 31, the chief healthcare advisor body in the UK said:

“Those handling bodies should be aware that there is likely a continuing risk of infection from the body fluids and tissues of cases where coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection is identified.”

On the other hand, on March 25, the Department of Medical Services of Thailand said that it was impossible for a person to get infected from a dead body following a story on social media about several temples declining to accept a 70-year-old patient’s body.

>>> Foreigners In Rishikesh Wrote “Sorry” 500 Times As A Punishment For Violating Lockdown