Counties In Oregon Appeal For Trucks To Store Bodies As Deaths Surge

The number of deaths from COVID 19 is rising at an alarming rate in Oregon in certain counties. The State has sent one refrigerated truck to hold bodies. And now it is sending the next one.

Counties In Oregon Appeal For Trucks To Store Bodies As Deaths Surge

Tillamook and Josephine are the counties that requested trucks, the State officials reported.

The Emergency Director for Tillamook said in its request that the only funeral home is continually exceeding its full capacity. They cannot even transfer or store the bodies to other counties due to a shortage of COVID 19 staff. The number of suicides is increasing in the County.

Its neighboring County loaned a refrigerated truck and it arrived there Friday.

According to its Board of Commissioners, the surge of COVID 19 cases has reached a critical stage. From August 18-23, the number of COVID 19 deaths was just six in the County. This is higher than the same during the 18 months of the pandemic.

The County witnessed a drastic rise in the number of deaths; it rose from six to 11.

Health officials in the region are now appealing to the residents; get inoculated at the earliest. The appeal comes in the wake of the Delta variant is sowing death among the unvaccinated people. The rate of vaccination in the County is 73%; both in progress and fully vaccinated.

The same is 53% in Josephine County. The funeral homes and the hospitals there working in their full capacity. Almost all the patients hospitalized due to COVID 19 and those in ICU are unvaccinated.

The commissioners here, however, are not keen to promote vaccination. The County Commissioner is a minority, Republican. And he said that he is not going to make vaccination compulsory in his County.

According to health officials, the County is witnessing a public health crisis. Most of them have never faced such a situation in their life. The County Commissioner, instead of promoting vaccination, continued to promote ineffective medicines. According to him, it is the influx of Mexican immigrants that is causing the current surge.

The County’s Emergency Director requested more trucks capable of storing 20-40 bodies. All their hospitals and mortuaries are working in a crisis mode, she told the State.

Morgues have legal limitations in place to store bodies. And they are always in their full capacity, the County wrote in its emergency request.

Health officials there reported 20 deaths due to COVID 19. And it has increased the number of such deaths to 3,115.

The State has a population of 4.2 million people. And from the time the pandemic began, the number of infections reported in the County is 268,401.

Do the following to stay safe from the Delta variant:

1. Get vaccinated

Vaccination is the only way out of this pandemic. And it protects you from severe illness, hospitalization and death. Remember, it is not meant to prevent the infection. It is there to protect you from serious illnesses due to the virus.

• Wear your mask. Avoid large gatherings if possible. Use hand sanitizers. You have to do these irrespective of your status of vaccination.
• Be prepared for breakthrough infections

Even if you are fully vaccinated, you may get infected with COVID 19. But your symptoms will largely be mild to moderate. It may also happen that you remain asymptomatic.

Whatever is the scenario, you carry the same viral load as an unvaccinated person. And you are capable of infecting others. This necessitates the situation where you remain in quarantine for the recommended time period. Your healthcare provider is the most reliable source of information in this regard.

Persuade your social circle to get vaccinated at the earliest available opportunity. It still remains the only way to stay safe during this pandemic.