State health officials are asking physicians and other medical certifiers to expedite completion of death certificates through the end of August as the number of COVID-19 deaths continues to climb.
“Due to the number of COVID fatalities, funeral homes and local jurisdictions note increasing difficulty in managing their capacity for safely storing remains until burial or cremation can take place,” the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said in a statement.
Texas law requires medical certifiers to sign death certificates within 10 business days. COVID-19 death certificates are being completed on average in nine days, DSHS said.
Certifying deaths sooner “will better ensure that Texas can safely manage COVID remains during this surge of COVID cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities,” DSHS said.
To expedite cremation, DSHS is asking physicians to take the initial step of deeming the death as “Natural” and saving the file to allow a funeral home to print a Burial Transit Permit. The physician would be able to complete the rest of the medical certification at a later date within the standard timeline allowed. Find more details in this DSHS document.
Texas has seen a significant increase in COVID-19 fatalities in July. So far this month, 1,924 COVID-19 deaths have been reported, DSHS figures show, including a record 197 deaths reported July 22.
Between March 17 – when Texas’ first COVID-19 death was reported – and June 30, a total of 2,424 deaths were reported, DSHS said.
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending an additional 14 refrigerated mortuary trucks to Texas, as the state requested July 11, according to news reports.
Seth Christensen, a Texas Division of Emergency Management spokesman, told the Austin American-Statesman that those trucks aren’t immediately needed, but the agency wanted to be prepared in case COVID-19 deaths continue to surge. Refrigerated trucks serve as temporary morgues in some parts of the state.
Since January 2019, deaths in Texas have been filed electronically to the Texas Electronic Vital Events Registrar, also called TxEVER.
For deaths due to COVID-19, report COVID-19 in Cause of Death – Part I on the Medical 2 tab. Report other chronic conditions that may have contributed (such as COPD, asthma) in Cause of Death – Part II on the Medical 2 tab.
Stay on top of the latest news, resources, and government guidance on the coronavirus outbreak by visiting TMA’s COVID-19 Resource Center regularly.