PIH Health Hospital In Whittier Brings In Portable Morgue As COVID-19 Infections Surge
WHITTIER (CBSLA) — It's not being used yet, but PIH Health Hospital in Whittier has brought in a mobile morgue as the current wave of infections, hospitalizations and deaths stretch resources thin across Los Angeles County.
A portable morgue has been set up outside PIH Health Hospital, 12401 Washington Blvd., as part of the hospital's surge protocol. However, a hospital spokesperson says the trailer is not yet being used and there is still room in the hospital morgue.
That the portable morgue is still unused is cold comfort to ICU nurse Andrew Lara. He says about 90% of the hospital's COVID-19 patients in their ICU are intubated on ventilators, and their resources are dwindling fast.
"As they become more acutely short of breath, we will put them on a device known as a high-flow oxygen device, and that gives them 100% oxygen but at a high rate of speed to force that oxygen down into their lungs," Lara said. "We are out of that. We don't have high-flow devices because we've exceeded that capacity."
COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna received emergency authorization Friday and have already arrived in Southern California. The first vaccinations of Southern California's healthcare workers will take place Monday.
But the vaccine won't help those who have already been infected, and are in intensive care.
"We hear the Zoom calls, we hear the pleas for help, we see the desperation and anxiety and our patients are just scared," he said.
Lara, who has been working as a nurse for two decades, was recently elected to the Pico Rivera City Council. One reason he ran was to raise awareness about the changes he believes are needed to prepare communities for future public health emergencies. He said he will be among the health care workers vaccinated later this week, and also plans to be part of a public education effort to publicize the risks versus the benefits of the vaccine.
