George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis last week, tested positive for coronavirus weeks before his death, according to an autopsy report from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed while being forcibly restrained by Minneapolis police, tested positive for coronavirus weeks before his death, according to an autopsy report from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Floyd’s death has sparked widespread protests against police violence in dozens of cities across the U.S.
According to the autopsy report, Floyd tested on April 3 positive for the virus’ RNA, which can remain in the body weeks after a disease clears.
The autopsy report showed that a second positive test after his death likely indicated that Floyd was asymptomatic from an earlier infection when he died May 25, NBC reported.
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previously said a positive RNA test does not necessarily indicate that the virus is infectious.
However, it wasn’t immediately clear if Floyd developed symptoms earlier or was entirely asymptomatic, NBC reported.
