Sacramento County Coroner Stocking Up On Mobile Morgue Units
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — With coronavirus deaths surging, the Sacramento County Coroner is stocking up on mobile morgues.
The county purchased refrigerated units to go along with a 52-foot refrigerated truck that was used during the Camp Fire. Only one of these storage units is currently being used to store bodies.
The Sacramento County Coroner told CBS13 there are more decedents than normal, but the added storage was purchased with the help of the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services in the Spring. Officials are using the smaller units to assist area hospitals in need of more storage and neighboring counties that need temporary help.
After the Camp Fire, the coroner's office bought racks for storage through a grant. Those storage racks have been loaned to a neighboring county during the pandemic because they are hard to purchase due to high demand.
The coroner said they have been preparing for emergencies for years, so while they are full right now, they are able to manage the increase.
On Friday, Sacramento County reported 22 new deaths, bringing the pandemic death toll to 977. If the recent pace continues, the county could hit 1,000 fatalities this weekend.
Statewide, California reported nearly 500 new deaths along with a near-record of more than 50,000 new infections. ICU capacity remains below 10% across most of the state. In the Greater Sacramento region, ICU capacity was at 6.4% Friday.
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