Why Autopsies Matter - Lessons Learned from the Early Days of COVID in NYC

By mid-2020 in New York, the state had more than 425,000 confirmed cases of corona virus and 23,500 residents dead from the virus. Most of these cases occurred early on as the disease spread rampantly throughout New York City and other parts of the state. Amidst all this trauma, the autopsies from these early COVID patients revealed significant findings, explained Mt Sinai pathologist Mary Fowkes, MD, FCAP, in this CAPcast before her sudden death in November 2020. In this interview, Dr. Fowkes discussed what’s been gleaned from these autopsies, as well as how she and her colleagues responded during those early months of the pandemic. Dr. Fowkes, who was a member of CAP's Board of Governors and also the president of the New York State Society of Pathologists at the time of her death, added her perspective on the role of her state pathology society during the pandemic. For more on the pandemic and pathologists, visit the COVID-19 information pages on CAP.org. And to learn more about state pathology societies, go to https://capatholo.gy/2YVI4fs.