Does the COVID-19 virus remain alive and infectious in a dead body?
Does the COVID-19 virus remain alive and infectious in a dead body? Covid-19 virus, like any other virus, lives and can remain live only inside a live cell. It depends on the functioning of live cell to live and replicate. The virus depends on the energy producing ATP of the cell by its mitochondria. The cell dies when it stops and so does the virus. Once the infected cell is dead and its lysosomes have liberated the lytic enzymes inside the cell for autolysis, every thing inside the cell is digested. It is certain that all Covid-19 viruses inside the body cells will die with the death of the person. There is no question of these escaping the body. However, the viruses on the surface of the respiratory tract cells waiting of entry, will survive. But once the respiration stops, the nose is plugged with cotton plugs and the mouth is shut tight, the virus particles can not escape the dead body to be infectious. As regards the viruses that might be present of the surface of the ...