National Guard helps manage COVID-19 dead in El Paso, Texas

A 36-member Texas National Guard team is helping the county morgue in El Paso handle the dead from COVID-19 as the count reached 862 on Monday and active coronavirus cases reached another record in the west Texas city on the border with Mexico.

In addition to the confirmed deaths, at least 430 other suspected COVID-19 deaths are under investigation, health officials said. Active coronavirus cases reached a record 35,963 on Saturday. The COVID-19 death toll in the city of 685,575 has been more than 300 since October, and there has been a total of 81,511 coronavirus cases since March.

Authorities in El Paso said they fear a dire situation could get much worse. El Paso hospitals are overwhelmed, and the city's convention center has been converted into an auxiliary hospital. Hospitalizations for the virus stood at 1,040 on Monday, with 321 in intensive care and 215 needing ventilators, according to the city health department.

On Saturday, the National Guard team took over from El Paso County jail inmates who have been helping since Nov 9 on a voluntarily basis to move the dead to morgues, according to local TV station KFOX. Photos of inmates in striped overalls moving bodies have been circulating on Twitter.

The county sheriff's office said the inmates were those who have misdemeanors. They were tested and given personal protective equipment by the medical examiner's office and face a two-week quarantine since being relieved once the program is over. They were being paid $2 an hour.

The El Paso medical examiner's office reported that bodies are being held at the main morgue, and 10 mobile morgues are being used to handle the overflow. The city and county had established a new central morgue location to add additional capacity, and the location of that morgue wasn't being disclosed due to privacy concerns.

At funeral homes across El Paso, social distancing and capacity limits apply, with some families experiencing a four-week delay before they can bury their loved ones.

"As we've seen a rapid increase in cases and hospitalizations, we are unfortunately also seeing a spike in deaths. We have been working closely with funeral homes and mortuaries to assist with increased capacity and coordination of resources," Mayor Dee Margo wrote on Twitter.

About 83 percent of El Paso's population is Hispanic, and 93 percent of the roughly 77,000 people who have tested positive since March are Hispanic, according to data provided by the city's public health department.

The department also said diabetes and hypertension are two of the leading underlying conditions in residents who have tested positive for the virus. In El Paso, patients with underlying conditions make up 97 percent of the death toll.