<p>Funeral home directors in Greater Los Angeles have been forced to turn away grieving families as the fatal COVID-19 wave hitting the area has left them unable to handle more bodies.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2020/12/31/as-coronavirus-deaths-mount-mortuaries-are-backed-up-and-hospitals-are-diverting-bodies-to-l-a-countys-coroner/">According</a> to the L.A. Daily News, the backlog is “straining local hospitals’ morgue capacity, forcing them to transport the deceased to the county’s coroner.”</p>
<p>The Associated Press interviewed Magda Maldonado, owner of the Continental Funeral Home in L.A.</p>
<p>“I’ve been in the funeral industry for 40 years and never in my life did I think that this could happen, that I’d have to tell a family, ‘No, we can’t take your family member,’” she told the outlet.</p>
<p>The AP recently <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-coronavirus-pandemic-california-united-states-c7f6c6d07abb092f536cce191e62a932">reported</a> that Continental was “averaging about 30 body removals a day – six times its normal rate.” Maldonado rented extra 50-foot refrigerators for two of the four facilities she operates in the L.A. area.</p>
<p>Elected leaders <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-30/mortuaries-funeral-homes-overwhelmed-covid-19-deaths">said</a> last week that officials would temporarily store bodies at the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner’s office because of the lack of space.</p>
<p>“It’s such a grim reality,” said L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who served as U.S. Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration. “I’m compelled to say this because it’s gotten to the point where we need to show the true toll of what this virus has taken and can take.”</p>
<p>Solis said members of the California National Guard would help the county coroner through the end of the month, possibly longer.</p>
<p>As The Daily News <a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2020/12/31/as-coronavirus-deaths-mount-mortuaries-are-backed-up-and-hospitals-are-diverting-bodies-to-l-a-countys-coroner/">reported</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>In a normal scenario, when a person dies under a doctor’s care at a hospital, a physician will sign a death certificate and that person will ultimately be transported to a mortuary. The coroner’s office generally takes a body only when seeking to determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of “all sudden, violent, or unusual deaths, and those deaths where the deceased has not been seen by a physician 20 days prior to death,” according to the department.</em></p>
<p><em>But now, mortuaries have become so backed up with bodies that hospitals are now leaning on the coroner’s office for increased capacity, officials said.</em></p></blockquote>
<p>The coroner’s office installed additional refrigerated storage units at the beginning of the pandemic to increase body storage capacity.</p>
<p>Rob Karlin, who owns the Los Angeles Funeral Service in Culver City, said this is the first time he’s had to turn people away since he founded the operation more than 15 years ago.</p>
<p>“I’ve never been in a position where I had to say, ‘I’m sorry. I can’t help you,’” Karlin <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-30/mortuaries-funeral-homes-overwhelmed-covid-19-deaths">told</a> The L.A. Times.</p>
<p>He went on to provide more insight to the outlet:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Karlin attributed his capacity issues both to the rising caseload and to a slowdown in the process of burying the dead. Obtaining death certificates, retrieving bodies from the coroner, embalming them – “everything is taking longer,” he said.</em></p>
<p><em>Embalmers, he added, are treating every body as if it had been infected with COVID-19. “They’re taking extra precautions and using a lot of bleach,” he said. “There’s an uncertainty about how long it’s dangerous on a dead body. I don’t know. There’s so much unknown.</em></p></blockquote>
<p>On Monday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed 77 new deaths, which it said: “reflects reporting delays over the New Year’s holiday weekend.” To date, the agency has identified 827,498 positive cases and 10,850 deaths.</p>
<p>“When this surge began in early-November, there was an average of 791 people hospitalized daily with COVID-19,” the agency said in a <a href="http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phcommon/public/media/mediapubhpdetail.cfm?prid=2896">news release</a>. “On January 2, just two days ago, the three-day average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was at a staggering 7,623 patients.”</p>
<p>L.A. Public Health projected daily deaths countywide could rise to 175 by the end of the month if cases increase as the agency anticipates.</p>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

Los Angeles Area Hospitals Divert Bodies To Coroner As Mortuaries And Funeral Homes Run Out Of Space

Chestnut Devours 70+ Hotdogs, Dominates Competition In Annual Display Of American Exceptionalism

Man Plows Truck Into Crowd In New Orleans’ French Quarter, Mayor Calls It A ‘Terrorist Attack’

5 Dead, 2 Kids Injured In Philadelphia Shooting. Suspect In Custody.

3 Dead In ‘Gang-Related’ Shooting At Annual New Mexico Biker Rally

McCarthy Says Biden Beholden To ‘Radical Socialists,’ POTUS Calls GOP Debt Ceiling Position ‘Extreme’

Illinois Supreme Court Puts Controversial Law Eliminating Cash Bail On Hold

News and Commentary

COVID

Los Angeles

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Menu

— News and Commentary —

Los Angeles Area Hospitals Divert Bodies To Coroner As Mortuaries And Funeral Homes Run Out Of Space