Two studies have shown that the coronaviruses can persist in the bodies of patients even after death.
Those who handle corpses, like medical examiners and health care workers, are at risk of spreading the disease.
Experts said that transmission from corpses is not likely to be a factor in the outbreak.
In some countries, people who have died of Covid-19 are being left unattended or taken back to their homes.
He said that the general public should be aware of it.
For as long as 17 days after death, infectious viruses have been found in corpses. Dr. Saitoh and his colleagues showed that dead hamsters can transmit diseases to their cage mates.
Outside experts said that the studies were well-done and that the results were compelling.
The risk of a live patient spreading the coronaviruses is much higher than that of corpses.
If a large number of cases were caused by infections from corpses, we would have seen it.
There is always a risk for transmission if there is an infectious viruses. I don't think it's addressed a lot.
In the US, bodies are embalmed after death or cremation. In the Netherlands, family members are allowed to wash and dress the dead.
In July 2020, the Japanese government told grieving family members to stay away from dead bodies and not to touch them. The officials recommended that corpses be sealed and cremated within 24 hours.
In May 2022, the guidelines were revised to allow family members to visit loved ones who have died in a hospital room.
The guidelines prompted Dr. Saitoh to look at what happens after death.
They looked at samples from the noses and lungs of people who had died. The researchers found high levels of virus in six of the 11 corpses.
The infectious titers were the same as in the clinical patients. The results of the animal experiments were unexpected.
He and his colleagues found that hamsters that died after being exposed to the coronaviruses could transmit it to other animals. The researchers said that when the levels of virus in the body are high, it's a good time to die.
The team found a lot of virus in the lungs of the dead. It suggests that those who do autopsies should be careful with the lungs. Dr. Saitoh pointed to a study about a forensic doctor who appeared to have been exposed to an STD.
The researchers said that gases that build up after death can be expelled through any part of the body. They found that practicing so-called "angel care", in which the mouth, nose, ears and anus are plugged with cotton pads, prevented transmission.
There are precedents for corpses that aretagious. In Africa, funeral and burial practices have led to large-scale epidemics of the disease.
A research scientist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University ofSaskatchewan said that the coronaviruses is very different.
About 3 percent of those diagnosed with Covid-19 die, compared to 70 percent of those who have been exposed to the disease. The risk of transmission by the coronaviruses is low, but the risk of transmission by the E coliviruses is much higher.
There is direct contact with bodily fluids with people who have died from the disease.
The new studies convinced her that the coronaviruses could be spread from dead people.
She said that most people need to worry more about getting Covid from their living neighbors than they do about their dead ones.
She said they should be cautious about physical contact with remains.
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