Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has revealed that the state just ordered 5,000 body bags more and that 60 refrigerated trucks are on standby to manage COVID-19 fatalities. The governor reported on Tuesday that the state just hit 32,326 new daily cases and 142 new deaths on Tuesday. He said the state is experiencing a renewed surge in the daily number of coronavirus infection rates and that this appears to be the highest in a number of months.
According to the governor, California is currently in the throes of the pandemic, and people must pay attention to the rising figures and protect themselves accordingly. He said the state is undergoing “the most intense and urgent moment since the beginning of this pandemic” and everyone must adhere to health and safety protocols and also stay back at home if possible.
With the additional order of 5,000 body bags, the state had already distributed thousands of body bags to San Diego, Los Angeles, and Inyo counties. The 60 53-foot refrigerated storage truck units will also remain on standby since morgues are filling up fast in the face of over 14,000 patients hospitalized for COVID-19. More than 3,000 patients are placed in intensive care units around the state and many are touting that a “third wave” of the pandemic may be around the corner, Fox News reports.
“This is a deadly disease, and we need to be mindful of where we are,” Newsom said. “We are not at the finish line yet. There is light at the end of the tunnel. But we are still in the tunnel, going through the most challenging and difficult surge we’ve experienced since the beginning of this pandemic.”
The governor has also established a coroner mutual aid and mass fatality program where coroners and morgues can coordinate their responses to rising death cases in the state. The availability of ICUs in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley is less than 2%, while those of other hospitals in the state are around 5.7%.
Areas such as San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, and Greater Sacramento have been ordered to shut down due to the rising cases of coronavirus infection and a declining availability of ICUs. People are to stay in their various homes and only essential services and restaurants are allowed to operate at half capacity. However, COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in California and the first dose was administered on Monday. The vaccines will be delivered to 24 locations where people can get them, and almost 40 hospitals should have them by Friday.
Source: abcnews.go.com
