Ritual workers are two to three times more susceptible to coronavirus infection than doctors. The reasons are not yet clear, because specialists could become infected both from contact with bodies and with living people. A corresponding study by scientists from Qatar was published in the scientific journal International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Thus, the proportion of mortuary workers who are sick and have antibodies to COVID-19 is 19.1 percent, and among cemetery workers – 29.6 percent. At the same time, the proportion of sick doctors was 10.6 percent.
It is noted that 47 morgue workers and 81 cemetery workers took part in the study. They all passed a PCR test or an antibody test. Scientists also took samples from the surfaces of the working areas, but there were no traces of the coronavirus there. At the same time, it is known that most of the study participants lived in hostels, that is, they were at greater risk of contracting infection at home.
Sergei Netesov, head of the NSU laboratory of bionanotechnology, microbiology and virology, in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper called infection from the dead unlikely. According to him, the bodies are disinfected with antiseptics before the funeral, while relatives are advised not to kiss the dead from various infections.
A number of experts also added that although there is a chance of getting infected from the deceased, the pathologist who opened the body is more at risk than ordinary morgue or cemetery workers.
Earlier, scientists from the Institute for Global Health Sciences at the University of California named the professions with the highest risk of death from coronavirus. Physicians ranked first. However, funeral workers were not included in the list.
