Rule for burial of patient who died of novel coronavirus in Georgia
Rule for burial of patient who died of novel coronavirus in Georgia

The rule for burial of a patient, who died from novel coronavirus in Georgia, is determined by Appendix 16 of the March 25 Order of Minister of IDPs, Labor, Health and Social Affairs Ekaterine Tikaradze.

Family members and Burial Service should be informed about necessary measures in prevention of spread of the virus:

Dead body has to be transferred by a coffin where the corpse is placed in a special bag. Funeral must be organized within 72 hours without crowd gathering for civil funerals.

In case of confirmed or suspected COVID-19, corps callosum and any additional contact, including pathological-anatomical incision, should be ruled out; If the latter is necessary, safety requirements must be strictly adhered to.

In case of death of patient in a clinic, measures for infection spreading control should be observed:

1. In case of death of COVID-19 infection or death of a presumably infected patient, the corpse should be covered with a blanket and placed in a waterproof corpse bag, with identification information on the wrist, then the bag should be tightly fastened with a zipper from beginning to end to exclude leaking of liquids from the corpse;

Following rules must be observed before placing a corpse in a bag:

  • Catheters, pipes and drains should be carefully removed from the corpse; Their removal site should be disinfected with 1% hypochlorite;
  • Sharp objects (such as vascular catheters) removed from the corpse should be placed in a container of sharp objects;

·         The mouth and nasal passages should be closed to prevent biological fluids from leaking out;

  • All waste generated during corpse processing should be placed in an infectious waste container.

2. The bag of the corpse is then transported to a temporary detention center of a medical institution, where the international symbol of infectious danger is placed on the outside of the bag.3. Outer surface of the corpse bag should be disinfected at a temporary detention center;4. Family members and Burial Service should be informed within 1 hour about death fact and body transfer after placement of the dead body at a temporary detention center;5. Family members and Burial Service should be informed about the danger of spreading the infection and the necessary measures:

  • The transfer of the corpse is carried out in a coffin in which the corpse is placed in a corpse bag, the opening of which is prohibited at any stage of the transfer and burial of the deceased;
  • Funeral must be organized within 72 hours without crowd gathering for civil funerals.
  1. In case of confirmed or suspected COVID-19, corps callosum and any additional contact, including pathological-anatomical incision, should be ruled out; If the latter is necessary, safety requirements must be strictly adhered to.