Maharashtra has decided to conduct Rapid Antigen Tests on all dead bodies brought to the government hospitals.

This initiative has been taken to either confirm or rule out the presence of the COVID-19 virus in the body, and take action accordingly. The move is aimed at expediting the process of handing over the corpses.

The Indian Express reported that a new government notification has been issued recently which says that tests like TrueNat/CBNAAT can be conducted to ensure speedy handover of the bodies.

With this new circular in place, the government medical colleges and hospitals will have to subject each body that tests negative for COVID-19 via the Antigen Test to other tests to find out the cause of death.

However, this has sparked a sense of alarm among the forensic healthcare workers as a false COVID-19 negative report may put their health at risk while doing an invasive autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.