The novel coronavirus surge in Florida shows little sign of slowing down, and hospitals are continuing to struggle to keep up with the massive influx of patients.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that 14 portable morgues are being driven into central Florida as hospitals have run out of room to store dead bodies.
"The number of deaths right now is unprecedented," Lynne Drawdy, executive director of the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, tells the Orlando Sentinel. "What we're hearing from the hospitals is that the death count right now is higher than it ever has been."
Raul Pino, a health officer in Orange County, tells the Orlando Sentinel that the morgues are not just an ominous sign for the present, but for the weeks to come.
"That means that likely in the coming weeks we are going to see bad, bad numbers," he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has defiantly refused to implement any restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, and he has banned schools from implementing mask mandates while also barring private businesses from requiring proof of vaccination among employees and customers.