4  Future improvement

4.1  Establish a multi-department joint control system
The joint control system should coordinate with multiple departments, such as the Center for Disease Control, Civil Administration Department, Health Commission and Environmental Protection Authorities for death investigation, as soon as possible. All departments should unite together and share information about the pandemic situation.

4.2  Improvement and training of occupational protection for forensic practitioners
Currently, many forensic practitioners lack the occupational protection awareness for infectious disease and lack of experience in death investigation for infectious disease, especially those with asymptomatic transmission. It is necessary to establish rules of occupational protection and risk prevention monitoring systems and integrate these into regular training.

4.3  Improvement of the forensic autopsy laboratory construction
For dealing with infected cases, autopsy laboratories should be constructed in the future to be qualified at certain biological safety levels (P1–P4) [13]. The P3 autopsy laboratory would satisfy the requirements for most of the infectious diseases, with the special requirements in terms of floor layout, maintenance structure, ventilation and air conditioning system, water supply and air supply system, sewage disposal, and disinfection system. Each functional area of the autopsy laboratory must maintain a certain negative pressure and suction gradient to ensure no leak or reflux of contaminating air [14].

4.4  Forensic radiology requires progress
Clinical diagnostic criteria for COVID-19 are the nucleic acid test and radiology examination by CT scan [15]. Virtual autopsy based on forensic radiology technology could play a significant role in the autopsy of infectious diseases. CT scan of the cadaver before autopsy provides an initial assessment of a possible cause of death and also prevent forensic practitioners from directly contacting an infected but asymptomatic body. Forensic practitioners could make a preliminary judgment on whether the deceased may be infected or not and take appropriate protective measures during subsequent autopsy.
In the past three months, these forensic practices have proven to be effective for the death investigation of confirmed or suspected infectious decedents and also exposed the defects of insufficient response, which also points out the direction for our future development.