TEXAS -- As Texas continues to deal with the accelerated spread of the novel coronavirus, hospital capacity is a real concern. Also of concern is the grim reality that in some regions morgues are at capacity and cannot handle the number of dead. 

What You Need To Know


  • Mobile morgues employed when morgues reach capacity

  • Some Texas counties may acquire them, including Travis County

  • Refrigerated trailers were used in New York to handle overflow

  • One supplier reports units are all rented and there is a waiting list 

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Monday morning reported an estimated 122,828 active cases of the virus in the state, though that number could be considerably higher. Travis County reported 14,622 cases and Bexar County reported 19,137. Dallas County reported 32,626. So far, 3,192 fatalities have been attributed to the virus in Texas.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler on Sunday updated progress on converting the city’s convention center into an overflow hospital in order to deal with the influx of COVID-19 patients. It’s anticipated the process will be complete by July 22.

RELATED: Adler: Convention Center Field Hospital to be Completed July 20-22

Along with hospitalizations, some Texas counties are preparing for a surge of deaths. Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales told NBC affiliate KRIS-TV she is in the process of ordering additional body bags and morgue trailers. The morgue is already full in Nueces County’s Corpus Christi.

Travis County public information officer Hector Nieto told the Texas Tribune on July 10 that the county is in the process of acquiring a refrigerated truck in order to deal with the number of bodies.

Those trucks were used in New York at the height of the pandemic there.

According to supplier MED Alliance Group, which is based in the Midwest, all of its morgue trailers are currently rented due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those wanting to purchase a trailer are informed there is an 18-week wait.

MED Alliance describes the trailers as useful when a region’s morgue facility is over capacity due to a mass causality incident. The trailers offered by MED Alliance are 8’x8’x24’ pods that feature electric generators and fold-up/down racks.