Pixabay
Pixabay
Linn County medical officials prepare for the COVID-19 epidemic with refrigerated trucks to serve as makeshift morgues.
This is in anticipation of rises in death counts that could overwhelm the hospitals' capacity.
Donnie Linder works as an ER doctor in St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids and as a Linn County Medical Examiner. He also is part of the clinical faculty at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. Louisiana had more than 1,200 deaths across the state. Linder treated patients there two weeks ago, and returned to Iowa with knowledge to help in the event the virus spreads.
“We are prepared for mass fatalities, hoping that that doesn't happen. We have a good system with our funeral homes, our hospital leadership, our county leadership, that if needed, we could deploy mobile refrigerated morgue with attendants and security," Linder said, according to KCRG.com.
Other immediate needs include faster testing and more tests. This could help doctors as well as patients stay safe and take the necessary precautions.