Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in anticipation of a spike in COVID-19 deaths as the Delta variant continues to take its toll, Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Doug Loveday tells NBC News. He said the request was put in Aug. 4, because "we are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase."
The five morge trailers will be based in San Antonio and moved to other cities as needed, and the health services department said they were requested as a precautionary measure. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg was not aware of the state's request, but it "makes sense," spokesman Bruce Davidson said. "Deaths are starting to mount for sure." Texas is averaging 80 COVID-19 deaths a day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
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