Dead bodies do not cough, sneeze; shed Covid phobia, say doctors

Hyderabad: Body of a 35-year-old man, who died with Covid symptoms, was shifted to crematorium in JCB in Gadwal district of Telangana. Family members performed the last rites by wearing PPE kits.

Several such incidents are coming to fore in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana where family members are either scared of having the last glimpse of a deceased or children are leaving the dead bodies of their parents on the roads due to Covid phobia. Coronavirus has created distances among blood relations. Dead bodies are desecrated by not performing their funeral rites properly.

People are disrupting funeral rites of those who either died of Covid or had symptoms. Consequently family members are performing the funeral rites in secret and at far off places.

Meanwhile, doctors and experts have told that people need not fear the dead bodies of the patients who died from coronavirus because Covid is particularly a droplet virus. It is spreads through droplets when positive person spits, coughs, sneezes or talk. The dead bodies do not spit or cough hence there is almost no possibility of coronavirus spreading from dead bodies.

The guidelines of ICMR revealed that if a person dies of coronavirus the effect of virus gradually reduces from the body. Family members who attend the funeral rites of a Covid victim must take a good bath with soap after reaching the house.

CCMB director Rakesh Mishra told that there is no possibility of spreading of virus through dead bodies. Orthopedic surgeon Dr Gurava Reddy said that the virus can stay alive in the dead body of Covid-19 victim for just 3 to 4 hours.

Hence people are advised not to desecrate the dead bodies by believing myths.

However, Dr Bushra Irfana from Nizamia General Hospital said, though there is least possibility of Covid infection from dead bodies, but funeral gatherings can become super spreaders. Large gathering at funerals makes physical distancing impossible which result in spread of virus from other symptomatic or asymptomatic persons. Because people there come into close contact with eachother.

Same is the case of gatherings at other functions like marriages and parties. So she advised to avoid gatherings at funerals.