German researchers reported Wednesday that the bodies of some coronavirus victims could remain contagious for days after death, adding to the swirl of unknowns relating to the deadly disease.

The small study—conducted by researchers at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf—was reprinted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and only involved very sick patients. 

The team examined the bodies of eleven people who had died from the coronavirus, swabbing their noses to search for traces of the virus at regular intervals for up to a week later. They “consistently detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA at constant levels at all time points analyzed,” according to the research. 

“We demonstrated maintained infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in tissues of deceased patients. SARS-CoV-2 RNA persisted over time at constantly high titers,” the study states. “Taken together, our data indicate potentially high infectivity of human corpses, requiring hazard assessments in professional fields concerned and careful and conscious handling.” 

But the German research team emphasized that further research is needed. 

“Further research should investigate viral persistence in corpses with longer postmortem intervals (>1 week) and corpses exhibiting lower initial viral load,” the study reported. 

The CDC released specific guidelines for handling deceased coronavirus victims, advising death care workers to use personal protective equipment and ensure adequate airflow. 

The study’s discovery comes as the virus explodes across the country, with an average of more than 211,000 new infections and nearly 2,500 coronavirus-related deaths per day, according to The COVID Tracking Project. The United States just closed in on its deadliest day yet of the pandemic on Wednesday, with 3,400 deaths, the data reported.

Hospitals are also experiencing unseen surges in the needs for medical care, as more than 113,000 people in the United States are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, figures that have forced the quality of patient care to decline since medical staff and resources are pruning. 

In California—the most infectious state in the country—state officials said this week that licensed intensive care unit beds ran out in the San Joaquin Valley and dropped to 0.5 percent availability in Southern California.

As of Thursday, there were more than 17.2 million coronavirus cases, with over 310,000 deaths in the United States.

Rachel Bucchino is a reporter at the National Interest. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and The Hill.

Image: Reuters