Almost two weeks ago, two Thai authors captured mass attention when they reported the first known death resulting from COVID-19 transferring from a deceased patient to a medical examiner. They wrote about and published their experience in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.
But yesterday, the authors and Elsevier issued a correction, saying the authors were merely trying to emphasize the importance of adequate safety protection, rather than report the spread of COVID-19 from a dead body. What’s more, the infected medical examiner did not actually die—he/she was diagnosed with COVID-19 (from whatever source), but is alive today.
“The authors regret that the article might not have good writing for clarification in the primary text and it might result in misinterpretation,” the correction reads. “The authors do not know for sure and cannot scientifically confirm that the virus moved from the dead body. The source of infection might be from any sources.”
Buzzfeed News first reported the spread of COVID-19 from a deceased body, citing the original journal article, on April 13. Forensic published its own article the next day. The news subsequently hit mainstream media in the following days, with ABC News, FOX News, Business Insider and others reporting the first transmission of COVID-19 from a dead body.
In an article published Thursday night, BuzzFeed News Reporter Dan Vergano explained that the original article came under question quickly after it was published. Journalist Peerapon Anutarasoat of the Sure and Share Center in Bangkok raised questions to the news organization about the original report's accuracy and its authors’ affiliations.
In an email sent April 15, the journal editor, Tim Thompson, a professor of applied biological anthropology at Teesside University (UK), told Buzzfeed News that the original article does not say the deceased caught COVID from a corpse, just that it’s the first recorded forensic practitioner death. However, in an email the following day, co-author Won Sriwijitalai told the news organization that the forensic worker was infected but had not died.
Given how much is still unknown about COVID-19 and how it spreads, governments have restricted viewing and handling of the deceased after post-mortem examination is complete. In the United States, the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) issued special guidance for the collection and submission of post-mortem specimens from deceased known or suspected COVID-19 cases, as well as recommendations for biosafety and infection control. The agency now recommends conducting autopsies in Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms that have a minimum of 6 air changes per hour (ACH) for existing structures and 12 ACH for renovated or new structures, and have air exhausted directly outside or through a HEPA filter. In addition to the usual autopsy PPE of gloves, gown, apron and goggles, the CDC recommends a disposable N-95 respirator or higher to protect the health of medical examiners.