George Floyd tested positive for coronavirus, but it had nothing to do with his death, autopsy shows
(CNN)In a week when the attention of Americans abruptly shifted from a paralyzing coronavirus pandemic to outrage over the deaths of black people in police custody, they learned that while George Floyd survived one threat, he was unable to live through the other.
George Floyd's friend who was in the car with him reveals his last moments
George Floyd's friend who was in the car with him reveals his last moments
Floyd tested positive for coronavirus in April, and again following his death last week after he was restrained by police in Minneapolis, final autopsy results show.
But the virus played no known role in his death and he was likely not contagious, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office said in its final report Wednesday.
"Since ... positivity for (Covid-19) can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent ... positivity from previous infection," it said.
Floyd survived a pandemic that has killed more African Americans in the United States than whites or other ethnic groups.
Black Americans represent 13.4% of the American population, according to the US Census Bureau. But counties with higher black populations account for more than half of all coronavirus cases and almost 60% of deaths, a study found.