Health officials in Texas have requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government as coronavirus cases continue to balloon across the state, bringing with them a steady rise in related deaths. Officials asked for additional mortuary trailers again last fall as Texas became the first state in the country to surpass 1 million cumulative coronavirus cases, as Reuters reported. Statewide, Texas has reported some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the country, with the state’s health department reporting an average of around 12,000 new cases over the last seven days. Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment Tuesday on the requests for mortuary trailers. The U.S. has reported 2.7 million new COVID-19 cases over the last 28 days.

Source: Huffington Post August 17, 2021 21:45 UTC