Medical workers receive patients for treatment at "Wuhan Livingroom" in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 8, 2020. The cultural building complex dubbed "Wuhan Livingroom" is a converted hospital to receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese pathologists have concluded autopsies on two deceased COVID-19 patients at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, which experts said would help understand the novel coronavirus. 

The autopsies were conducted with the consent of the relatives of the deceased and the results have been submitted for further examination by the relevant authorities, China Central Television reported Sunday.

Since the outbreak, Chinese medical experts and forensic specialists have been called for pathological autopsies to help understand the novel coronavirus and formulate accurate therapy. 

Since the first fatality occurring on January 9, more than 1,600 people have died of the COVID-19 in China, which has cumulatively infected 68,500 Chinese people, the National Health Commission announced (NHC) on Sunday. 

According to guidelines issued by the NHC on February 1, bodies of deceased COVID-19 patients should be cremated in nearby crematories immediately and are banned from being transferred or preserved. 

Wang Guangfa, a pulmonologist from the Peking University First Hospital, agreed that autopsies should be conducted to learn more about the novel coronavirus. 

Pathological anatomy is a vital method in pathological research, which is very important for understanding diseases, Wang told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Pathological anatomy can help experts learn more about the coronavirus, for example, which organs the virus is targeting and what kind of cells are damaged the most, Liu Liang, a forensic specialist from the Tongji Medical College at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, told media.

CT results show that there are frosted glass lesions on COVID-19 patients' lungs. Pathological autopsies can tell us what caused the lesions, edema, bleeding or infection, Liu said. 

Doctors can adjust therapy according to autopsy results, he noted. 

An Youzhong, the leader of a supportive medical expert team from Peking University currently in Wuhan, emphasized in unison with Liu. He told the media that autopsies and pathological checks are urgently needed to thoroughly learn about the damage regarding the novel coronavirus on the human body. 

Experts noted that autopsies were also used to study previous infectious diseases including SARS and AIDS.  

"I think Chinese experts have proven techniques in process samples as they have conducted autopsies to deal with infectious diseases before," Wang said. 

The autopsies should be performed under the condition of strict protective measures, Wang warned. He also noted that locations where autopsies will be performed need to be thoroughly disinfected and extra attention be paid when processing fresh samples in case there are still live viruses inside the bodies. 

Liu told the media that he and his team had proposed to the Wuhan city government to conduct autopsies after the outbreak. 

The government and local hospitals agreed on the necessity of autopsies but could not provide proper locations. Meanwhile, they also worried over risks regarding viral transmission during such autopsies, Liu said. 

According to Liu, there is only one morgue in all of China that can provide the environment meeting the national anatomical criteria for infectious diseases. The room is located at the Ditan Hospital in Beijing. 

"We couldn't transfer the body to Beijing, but we can figure out another way," Liu said.