Covid virus survives for 18 hours on corpses, says study

A clinical autopsy that was carried out by a well known forensic expert, Dr Dinesh Rao has revealed that coronavirus can survive for up to 18 hours even after the death of an infected person.

Bengaluru (Karnataka): A clinical autopsy conducted on a person who died of COVID-19 at a hospital in Karnataka has revealed new details.

According to the clinical autopsy carried out by a well-known forensic expert, Dr Dinesh Rao, who heads the forensic medicine department the Oxford Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, the virus can survive for 18 hours even after the death of the infected person.

The clinical autopsy was carried out on a 62-year-old person who was admitted to Oxford hospital for treatment after he tested positive for COVID-19.

However, he succumbed to the infection as he didn't respond to treatment.

After taking permission and approval from the family of the deceased patient, Dinesh Rao carried out the autopsy, through which he was able to shed light on several unknown facts about Covid-19.

According to Dr Rao, all the vital organs of the deceased person were damaged.

Generally, the lungs of a person look like a soft sponge ball, however, in the case of COVID- 19 infected patient who succumbed to the disease, lungs had turned leathery and gained in weight significantly.

He also found blood clots in the brain, damages to the heart, liver, respiratory passage.

According to Rao, a blood clot was also found in the lungs. Many times the virus is not found in the lungs, however, it remains active in the body for 18 hours.

Rao, however, added that such autopsies and greater research are needed to understand how the disease affects the human body and accordingly treatment protocols should be modified. He further added that result of one autopsy can not be deemed as conclusive evidence although the autopsy has opened a big pandora’s box.