George Floyd: Autopsy reveals he had tested positive for coronavirus prior to his death

Medical examiner said second positive Covid-19 result was from previous infection

George Floyd, whose death during an arrest in Minneapolis last week sparked protests against institutionalised racism, had tested positive for the coronavirus weeks prior to his death.

The autopsy also confirmed that Covid-19 was present in the 46-year-old’s body almost eight weeks after he tested positive on 3 April.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, who published the document on Wednesday, explained that coronavirus can be present in someone’s genetic code weeks after the virus has cleared.

The complete report does not change the cause of death, which officials said on Monday was cardiopulmonary arrest caused through “neck compression” and “restraint”.

A second positive Covid-19 test, according to the medical examiner, indicated that Mr Floyd was asymptomatic from the previous infection when he died last Monday.

“Since PCR positivity for 2019-nCoV RNA can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection,” said the report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also states that Covid-19 can leave behind viral remnants when someone is no longer infectious.

It was not clear whether Mr Floyd had developed coronavirus symptoms in the past.

Hennepin County published the 20-page document with the agreement and cooperation of Mr Floyd’s family and lawyers.

An independent autopsy conducted for Mr Floyd’s family found that he had died after blood and air flow were cut off to his brain.

It made contrasting conclusions to the Hennepin County autopsy that ruled Mr Floyd had suffered from other significant conditions, including arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease, fentanyl intoxication, and recent methamphetamine use.