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George Floyd had coronavirus when he died, according to a full-length autopsy report released on Wednesday.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s document confirmed Floyd died from a cardiac arrest “complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression” – and that he was positive for COVID-19.
“The decedent was known to be positive for 2019-nCoV RNA [COVID-19] on 4/3/2020,” the report stated.
“Since PCR positivity for 2019-nCoV RNA [COVID-19] 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.”
The term 2019-nCoV RNA refers to the deadly bug that has killed well over 107,000 Americans.
The autopsy was conducted by the county’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr Andrew M. Baker on May 26.
A urine drug screen also found Floyd was “presumptive positive for cannabinoids, amphetamines, and fentanyl/metabolite.”
Preliminary findings from an official autopsy conducted last week said the combined effects of being restrained, potential intoxicants in Floyd’s body, and his underlying health issues, including heart disease, likely contributed to his death.
According to findings from an independent autopsy at the request of his family, Floyd died as a result of “asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain.”
This examination, conducted by Michael Baden and Allecia Wilson, determined Floyd’s death to be “homicide.”
Floyd’s family announced the findings on Monday, a week after the 46-year-old black man died in police custody.
“Sustained pressure on the right side of Mr Floyd’s carotid artery impeded blood flow to the brain, and weight on his back impeded his ability to breathe,” a statement from the family’s attorney read.
“The independent examiners found that weight on the back, handcuffs, and positioning were contributory factors because they impaired the ability of Mr Floyd’s diaphragm to function.”
“From all the evidence, the doctors said it now appears Mr Floyd died at the scene,” the statement read, contradicting authorities, who have said Floyd died at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Baker’s May 26 report stated that Floyd “received emergency medical care in the field and subsequently in the Hennepin HealthCare (HHC) Emergency Department, but could not be resuscitated.”
Baden, the former chief medical examiner of NYC, said what he and Wilson found “is consistent with what people saw. There is no other health issue that could cause or contribute to his death.”
