Workers load up mortuary trucks in El Paso, Texas.Photo: Mario Tama/GettyTexas has requested fivemortuary trucksfrom the federal government as COVID-19 cases and deaths surge in the state,NBC News reported.State officials are expectingan influx of dead bodiesthat would overwhelm their current mortuary system, Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday told the outlet.“We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,” he said.Texas is currently dealing withone of the largest increases in COVID-19 casesin the country, with around 15,000 new infections a day. The rise in cases, combined with the low vaccination rates in the state — currently just 47% of Texans are fully vaccinated — have also led to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.Nearly 12,000 people in Texas are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, a 71% jump over the last 14 days, and around 160 people a day are dying from the virus, a 307% increase,according toThe New York Times.The trucks, from FEMA, will go first to San Antonio, and then be transported around the state as needed. Another spokesperson at the health agency, Chris Van Deusen, told NBC News that they requested the trucks as a precaution.“We haven’t gotten any local requests, but we want to be ready with the COVID cases in the state,” Van Deusen said. “We didn’t want to wait.“RELATED VIDEO: N.Y.C. To Require Proof Of Vaccination For Indoor Dining And FitnessWith the rise in cases in Texas, hospitals are running out of space.According to state data, five regions have no remaining hospital ICU beds, and seven others have less than 10.Despite the influx of cases and deaths, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order banning any vaccination or mask requirements in the state. Two counties challenged the rule, but the Texas Supreme Court upheld Abbott’s order.

Workers load up mortuary trucks in El Paso, Texas.Photo: Mario Tama/Getty

A low-level inmate from El Paso County detention facility waits to help load bodies wrapped in plastic into a refrigerated temporary morgue trailer in a parking lot of the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s office on November 16, 2020 in El Paso, Texas

Texas has requested fivemortuary trucksfrom the federal government as COVID-19 cases and deaths surge in the state,NBC News reported.State officials are expectingan influx of dead bodiesthat would overwhelm their current mortuary system, Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday told the outlet.“We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,” he said.Texas is currently dealing withone of the largest increases in COVID-19 casesin the country, with around 15,000 new infections a day. The rise in cases, combined with the low vaccination rates in the state — currently just 47% of Texans are fully vaccinated — have also led to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.Nearly 12,000 people in Texas are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, a 71% jump over the last 14 days, and around 160 people a day are dying from the virus, a 307% increase,according toThe New York Times.The trucks, from FEMA, will go first to San Antonio, and then be transported around the state as needed. Another spokesperson at the health agency, Chris Van Deusen, told NBC News that they requested the trucks as a precaution.“We haven’t gotten any local requests, but we want to be ready with the COVID cases in the state,” Van Deusen said. “We didn’t want to wait.“RELATED VIDEO: N.Y.C. To Require Proof Of Vaccination For Indoor Dining And FitnessWith the rise in cases in Texas, hospitals are running out of space.According to state data, five regions have no remaining hospital ICU beds, and seven others have less than 10.Despite the influx of cases and deaths, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order banning any vaccination or mask requirements in the state. Two counties challenged the rule, but the Texas Supreme Court upheld Abbott’s order.

Texas has requested fivemortuary trucksfrom the federal government as COVID-19 cases and deaths surge in the state,NBC News reported.

State officials are expectingan influx of dead bodiesthat would overwhelm their current mortuary system, Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday told the outlet.

“We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,” he said.

Texas is currently dealing withone of the largest increases in COVID-19 casesin the country, with around 15,000 new infections a day. The rise in cases, combined with the low vaccination rates in the state — currently just 47% of Texans are fully vaccinated — have also led to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

Nearly 12,000 people in Texas are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, a 71% jump over the last 14 days, and around 160 people a day are dying from the virus, a 307% increase,according toThe New York Times.

The trucks, from FEMA, will go first to San Antonio, and then be transported around the state as needed. Another spokesperson at the health agency, Chris Van Deusen, told NBC News that they requested the trucks as a precaution.

“We haven’t gotten any local requests, but we want to be ready with the COVID cases in the state,” Van Deusen said. “We didn’t want to wait.”

RELATED VIDEO: N.Y.C. To Require Proof Of Vaccination For Indoor Dining And Fitness

With the rise in cases in Texas, hospitals are running out of space.According to state data, five regions have no remaining hospital ICU beds, and seven others have less than 10.

Despite the influx of cases and deaths, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order banning any vaccination or mask requirements in the state. Two counties challenged the rule, but the Texas Supreme Court upheld Abbott’s order.

source: people.com