COVID-19 Patient Dies, What Are The Funeral Procedures?

Illustrations (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Since President Joko Widodo said there were two cases of the spread of the corona virus or COVID-19 on Monday, March 2, now there have been 134 people who have tested positive for the virus. Of these, 8 people were declared cured but 5 others died.

Victims who have died from the corona virus need to be treated carefully, because they still have the risk of transmitting the virus.

Microbiology researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Sugiyono Saputra said the risk of spreading COVID-19 could occur if the person handling the body was exposed to bodily fluids from the mouth and respiratory tract as well as blood.

"In the case of a death caused by a dangerous infectious disease, the body is still at risk of transmitting the disease," Sugiyono told VOI via text message, Tuesday, March 17.

To reduce this risk, the Minister of Religion, Fachrur Razi, was quoted as saying by kemenag.go.id, that the bodies of positive COVID-19 patients will be handled by a medical team from a referral hospital appointed by the government. As for the funeral, it can be carried out by the family after receiving directions from the hospital.

"The funeral officials must wear personal protective equipment for health workers such as plastic raincoats, then destroy them after the funeral," said Fachrur.

For those who are Muslim, the management of the corpse must still pay attention to the applicable provisions while still adjusting the procedures according to the hospital's instructions.

"For the implementation of the funeral prayer, it is recommended to do it at the referral hospital. Otherwise, the funeral prayer can be done in a mosque where a thorough sanitation inspection process has been carried out and the prayer is carried out without touching the body."

Minister of Religion Fachrur Razi

In addition, there are several technical instructions from Fahcrur regarding the handling of corpses of corona virus patients, such as using protective clothing complete with gloves and masks, not eating and drinking in the body storage room or viewing area, avoiding direct contact, washing hands with soap or hand. -An alcohol-based sanitizer and cover the wound with a bandage or bandage.

Prior to burial, bodies with infectious diseases will be disinfected or sprayed with chlorine on the bodies and medical personnel, with the aim of avoiding the spread of the virus.

For burial, the Minister of Religion recommends that the burial location should be 50 meters from the source of groundwater used for drinking and 500 meters from the nearest settlement.

The body can be buried with a depth of 1.5 meters and then covered with soil as high as one meter. If there are other bodies that are to be buried, it is better if the bodies of COVID-19 patients are buried in a separate area. Furthermore, the burial ground must be handled carefully.

Meanwhile, for the bodies that want to be cremated, the location of the cremation must be done about 500 meters from the nearest settlement. Cremation should also not be done on several bodies at once, the aim is to reduce smoke pollution

Meanwhile, tools that have been used such as materials, chemicals, or personal protective equipment used during the funeral process can be disposed of in a safe place or burned. Then the disinfection process must be carried out again by medical personnel or the items used in the process of treating the body.

"The treatment of the corpse can increase the risk of spreading infectious diseases. However, as long as it is carried out according to safety and hygiene procedures, treatment of the corpse can actually help prevent further disease transmission," said Fachrur.

Previously reported, the 5 people who were declared dead were mostly elderly and suffered from complications and drastic decline in health after testing positive for COVID-19.

Those who were declared dead were patient number 25 with the female gender and 53 years old who was the first victim of death from this virus. This foreign citizen died with a history of a number of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This patient is not involved with the COVID-19 spread cluster in Indonesia but imported cases.

Next is patient number 35 with a female gender aged 57 years. This patient died at RSPI Sulianti Saroso using a ventilator and contact tracing is still being carried out.

The third patient who died was a patient with identity number 36, female and 37 years old. He died at RSPI Sulianti Saroso and when he was referred was already on a ventilator. Just like the previous case, contact tracing is still being carried out.

The fourth patient who died was a patient with identity number 50 who was male and aged 59 years. He was pronounced dead after experiencing a rapid decline in health. Contact tracing is also still being carried out.

As for the fifth patient who was declared dead, spokesman for the handling of COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto, did not specify the case and gender.