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Bodies of COVID-19 fatalities are loaded into a mortuary trailer in New Jersey during April of last year.
State health officials submitted the request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this month, according to an NBC News report. While the trailers will be staged in San Antonio, they're intended for dispatch to places around the state where fatalities spike.
"We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase," Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday told NBC.
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the state has been on a steady increase with the arrival of the highly contagious delta variant.
From a daily low average of 24 fatalities reported statewide on June 28, the number of average daily deaths climbed to 70 on August 2, the most recent date for which complete death data is available from the Texas health officials.
To date, more than 55,000 Texans have died from COVID-19.
A FEMA spokesperson told NBC three of the morgue trailers are expected to arrive on Friday. The final will reach San Antonio on Saturday.
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