Oregon counties request trucks for bodies as Covid overwhelms morgues

Hospitals, funeral homes and crematoriums at the edge of crisis capacity'

Two Oregon counties hit hard by Covid-19 are running out of space to hold bodies amid an intense surge in cases that is overwhelming the state's healthcare system, forcing authorities to request refrigerated trucks to help handle the overflow.

In Josephine county, located in the state's south-west, the local hospital is exceeding its body storage capacity and the area's five funeral homes and three crematoriums are at the edge of crisis capacity daily", the county emergency manager told the state last week. Meanwhile, Tillamook county, on Oregon's north-west coast, reported that its sole funeral home is now consistently at or exceeding their capacity" of nine bodies.