{"id":916,"date":"2020-12-08T08:58:19","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T13:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/covidqanda.org\/?p=916"},"modified":"2020-12-08T08:58:19","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T13:58:19","slug":"how-long-is-someone-who-passed-on-contagious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/covidqanda.org\/?p=916","title":{"rendered":"How long is someone who passed on contagious?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Question:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Morbid question, how long is someone who passed on contagious?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>There is currently no evidence<\/a>\u00a0of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through handling of bodies of deceased persons.\u00a0 While absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, there is believed to be little risk<\/a> of contracting COVID from a dead body since the virus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets.\u00a0 Because scientists have found the virus in other bodily fluids (beyond respiratory droplets) and because the virus may live on surfaces for short periods of time, if you are around the body of someone who died of COVID-19, you should avoid touching the body.\u00a0 And if you need to touch the body, you should wear personal protective equipment (including gloves) and wash thoroughly thereafter.\u00a0 Figure 1<\/strong>\u00a0from CDC<\/a>\u00a0describes the differences in burial practices between COVID-19 and Ebola. I’m sharing it here because the COVID-19 portion offers sound advice. Of course, advice for different types of health workers and funeral workers is more stringent as these workers are more likely to be exposed to the bodily fluids of the deceased person, which carries more potential risk.\u00a0 If you want to read more, these resources are all very informative:<\/p>\n\n\n\n