Authorities of Mexico City ask funeral homes to consider any death from pneumonia as a suspect for COVID-19
Mexico City government health authorities have asked funeral homes in the capital to now consider any death from pneumonia as a suspected case of COVID-19, and to follow a safety protocol that includes wearing protective equipment when handling the body and recommends no wake and rapid cremation.
This after, in a private meeting with specialists from the Health Protection Agency of the Capital Government to which
AnimalPolítico had access, members of the Association of Funeral Home Owners and Embalmers claimed that they have received bodies of people with clinical pictures similar to those of the coronavirus, but where the death certificates only refer generically to "pneumonia".
Government specialists explained that hospitals are required to specify on death certificates whether the cause of death was due to COVID-19, but acknowledged that there can be failures due to negligence or to particular situations such as death occurring before receiving the results of a test, or death occurring in a home and not following proper processes for certifying death.
"You know that there are things that happen like the person comes with a wrong diagnosis, or wrong and many times a false diagnosis and that happens, you know it better than I do. So the clear recommendation is to treat every body as suspected of having a coronavirus," said Dr. Alan Moreno.
The funeral home representatives accepted the recommendation, but asked the Health Services Coordination to order hospital directors to comply with the written record of suspected cases of COVID-19, especially to support the family members that the body they receive is at risk.
Dr. Moreno responded that talks are already taking place at the hospital level to sensitize doctors to the importance of recognizing cases as "suspected coronavirus" even if there is no evidence to confirm it.
"There are hospitals that sometimes have certain deficiencies in certain things and it is very important that the hospital informs you (funeral home) if they are going to pass on a suspected case of coronavirus. Especially if the picture is one of pneumonia. The approach is being made so that you don't fall for it (not to warn if it's at least suspicious) because it's a huge mistake that exposes the family, the funeral homes and everyone," said the specialist.
What is the security protocol?
At the meeting, the specialists explained that handling a body under a coronavirus protocol requires strict measures that range from the protective equipment to be used, to recommendations for its transfer and treatment, and disinfection processes. All of this is done with the aim of preventing contagion.
They recalled that, although the infection can occur directly through the air through sneezing or saliva drops, it can also occur on contact surfaces such as paper or plastic where the virus remains active for up to five days, so it is important to take extreme care.
The protective equipment
When handling the body of the deceased, funeral home personnel and embalmers should wear at least: double gloves, N95 or FFP2 filtering masks (conventional mouth guards are not acceptable), googles or safety glasses to prevent splashing, and long-sleeved waterproof gowns.
All these items should be disposed of immediately after use and not reused.
Treatment and transfer
Strict health standards must be followed in the handling of the body from preparation to delivery.
In the hospital, all body orifices should be covered with cotton wool impregnated with a disinfectant solution and then wrapped in a sheet or anti-flower cloth without removing catheters, tubes, or similar. This is to prevent highly contagious splashes.
Two special bags with a technical specification called "150 microns" must be used for the transfer. The wrapped body is placed in the first bag which should be sprayed with disinfectant inside and out. The second bag is then placed and must also be sprayed in the same way.
When leaving the hospital, the body bags should be placed inside a closed coffin. The vehicle used should be sanitized after each transfer service not only in the area of the carriage but also on the steering wheel, gear lever, seats, windows and other key parts of the car.
Incineration and non-veiling
The specialists indicated to the funeral homes that they should indicate to the relatives - in an emphatic way - the recommendation to incinerate a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 corpse instead of burying it. This is to prevent contagion.
To expedite this process, the Ministry of Health in the capital will authorize that bodies can be cremated even before 12 hours after death, and not necessarily after that time as in conventional cases.
In the area of crematoria, personnel responsible for opening the casket should spray it with a concentrated chlorine solution before and after opening it. Under no circumstances may the coffin be reused.
If the family resists a cremation and it is decided to proceed with burial, it should be carried out under strict sanitary measures, and the personnel responsible for embalming the body should protect themselves with the equipment already mentioned.
The specialists were emphatic in asking the funeral homes to recommend not to watch the body because this represents a high risk of contagion. In any case, it is desirable to proceed immediately with the burial
In the non-recommended case of a decision to care for the body, funeral home personnel must restrict the space to less than 50% of the facility's capacity, prohibit as much as possible the entrance of minors and the elderly, place disinfectant gel, and maintain a healthy distance, among others.
And they reiterated that under no circumstances should an open casket be kept or people be allowed to approach it.
Taking care of the funeral home
The health technicians also issued general recommendations to funeral home personnel to keep their facilities as free from infection as possible.
These include daily cleaning of all facilities using chlorine solutions, avoiding the use of interconnected ventilation systems between different locations, and ensuring that rooms are ventilated on their own.
Floats and other vehicles should be disinfected after each use with a chlorine or alcohol-based solution. Toilets must be provided with potable water, liquid soap, disposable towels and a sign that promotes hand washing.
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