Ada County Coroner on surge: 'We are working nonstop. We're exhausted, we're frustrated'

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Among the latest surge of COVID-19, Ada County Coroner Dotti Owens says hospitals and funeral homes are running out of rooms to store bodies.

Owens says their resources are exhausted.

"We are working nonstop. We're exhausted, we're frustrated," Owens said.

Last winter the Coroner's office used CARES Act funding to purchase a mass fatality trailer. It's been used throughout the last six to eight months but now Owens says they are packing bodies in there.

"The internal cooler is full. We've had to hire outside individuals. We're working on contracting with outside individuals to come in and help us transport these Covid individuals from the hospitals to our facility to hold because we're out of storage," Owens said on CNN this weekend. "Funeral homes are out of storage our hospitals are out of storage. It's just become quite a mess."

Owens added that misinformation has generated a lot of concerning responses from people in the community. She says the issue shouldn't be polarized.

"This isn't Democrat or Republican, this is life and death and when have we gotten to the point where we are so determined to either be a red state or a blue state, versus saving lives," Owens said. "That's where I'm at. I'm angry and we're tired, we're angry, we're frustrated."

Owens added that as an elected official, she is going to put politics aside.

"Anything I can do to slow this down, to save these individuals in our community, I'm going to continue to talk out. I'm going to speak. I'm going to continue to fight," Owens said. "You know, to be honest with you, if it ends up costing me my position, so be it, as long as I can save some members of my community and people around the state. We're frustrated, we're tired."

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