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| She Witnessed the Pandemic’s Toll From Inside a Funeral Home | She Witnessed the Pandemic’s Toll From Inside a Funeral Home |
| (4 days later) | |
| — Stephanie Garcia, a mortician, on being unable to meet demand | — Stephanie Garcia, a mortician, on being unable to meet demand |
| In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. | In Her Words is available as a newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. |
| When news reports emerged about a novel coronavirus in China, 23-year-old Stephanie Garcia, a funeral director at International Funeral Service of New York in Brooklyn, didn’t know what to make of them. She felt scared and confused, unsure as to how such a distant and invisible threat might affect New York. | When news reports emerged about a novel coronavirus in China, 23-year-old Stephanie Garcia, a funeral director at International Funeral Service of New York in Brooklyn, didn’t know what to make of them. She felt scared and confused, unsure as to how such a distant and invisible threat might affect New York. |
| But then the virus arrived in the U.S. and New York City quickly became its epicenter. | But then the virus arrived in the U.S. and New York City quickly became its epicenter. |
| “I never thought it would get this bad,” Ms. Garcia said, who is managing as many as 14 funerals in a week, compared with her four-per-week average before the pandemic. | “I never thought it would get this bad,” Ms. Garcia said, who is managing as many as 14 funerals in a week, compared with her four-per-week average before the pandemic. |
| The surge has hit the death care industry especially hard, particularly in New York City where there have been over 21,000 deaths. Sandwiched between overflowing hospitals and backed up cemeteries, the city’s funeral homes are at maximum capacity, and the cases keep pouring in. | The surge has hit the death care industry especially hard, particularly in New York City where there have been over 21,000 deaths. Sandwiched between overflowing hospitals and backed up cemeteries, the city’s funeral homes are at maximum capacity, and the cases keep pouring in. |
| Employees in the death care industry are the last responders on the front lines. While they work quietly in the background, they are bearing witness to the totality of this crisis in the number of bodies left behind, the funerals robbed of traditions and the loved ones deprived of closure. | Employees in the death care industry are the last responders on the front lines. While they work quietly in the background, they are bearing witness to the totality of this crisis in the number of bodies left behind, the funerals robbed of traditions and the loved ones deprived of closure. |
| Ms. Garcia and her colleagues are putting in 12 hour shifts — minimum. And yet there are days when Ms. Garcia drives to work and catches glimpses of life marching on as if a pandemic wasn’t tearing apart the city. Just the other day, her neighbors had a party in their backyard, and no one was wearing a mask. | Ms. Garcia and her colleagues are putting in 12 hour shifts — minimum. And yet there are days when Ms. Garcia drives to work and catches glimpses of life marching on as if a pandemic wasn’t tearing apart the city. Just the other day, her neighbors had a party in their backyard, and no one was wearing a mask. |
| “I’m seeing all these people who are not taking it seriously,” Ms. Garcia said. “It’s crazy because, for me, I’m living in this nightmare right now.” | “I’m seeing all these people who are not taking it seriously,” Ms. Garcia said. “It’s crazy because, for me, I’m living in this nightmare right now.” |
| Ms. Garcia is a funeral director in an industry dominated by white men: According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the industry is nearly 80 percent male even though 70 percent of graduates from funeral director programs in the U.S. are female. | Ms. Garcia is a funeral director in an industry dominated by white men: According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the industry is nearly 80 percent male even though 70 percent of graduates from funeral director programs in the U.S. are female. |
| Ms. Garcia has been in the funeral business for about four years. As a director, she guides families through the process of taking care of someone who has died: retrieving the body; filling out paperwork; arranging memorials; organizing cremations and burials. | Ms. Garcia has been in the funeral business for about four years. As a director, she guides families through the process of taking care of someone who has died: retrieving the body; filling out paperwork; arranging memorials; organizing cremations and burials. |
| The job is as much about bringing dignity to the dead as it is caring for the living. Being a funeral director, she said, means helping mourning families navigate their heartache as they say goodbye to loved ones. | The job is as much about bringing dignity to the dead as it is caring for the living. Being a funeral director, she said, means helping mourning families navigate their heartache as they say goodbye to loved ones. |
| When she was starting out, Ms. Garcia’s first removal — the term used when retrieving a body — was a newborn from a hospital in Manhattan. And while that’s not the typical call, it didn’t deter Ms. Garcia. | When she was starting out, Ms. Garcia’s first removal — the term used when retrieving a body — was a newborn from a hospital in Manhattan. And while that’s not the typical call, it didn’t deter Ms. Garcia. |
| “I knew that I was in the right field,” she said. “And I knew if I could do that, I could do anything.” | “I knew that I was in the right field,” she said. “And I knew if I could do that, I could do anything.” |
| But Covid-19 has tested her confidence. Moments of feeling hopeless and helpless have, at times, led her to second guess whether this was the industry for her. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been hundreds of bodies — close to 200, Ms. Garcia estimates — in her funeral home’s care. | But Covid-19 has tested her confidence. Moments of feeling hopeless and helpless have, at times, led her to second guess whether this was the industry for her. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been hundreds of bodies — close to 200, Ms. Garcia estimates — in her funeral home’s care. |
| With cemeteries and crematories in the area booked weeks out, Ms. Garcia and her colleagues have had to turn families away. But the phone keeps ringing. | With cemeteries and crematories in the area booked weeks out, Ms. Garcia and her colleagues have had to turn families away. But the phone keeps ringing. |
| To meet the demand, her boss started renting a refrigerated truck that hums on the sidewalk beside the funeral home. Over the last few months, New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner has dispatched as many as 150 mobile trailers to hospitals and other locations across the city to store the overflow of bodies, transforming statistics into something more visible. But even that hasn’t been enough. Other funeral homes also struggling to make space have hired out refrigerated trucks. In one instance, police were called to a Brooklyn-based funeral business following reports of a suspicious smell, only to discover dozens of decomposing bodies kept in a U-Haul truck. | To meet the demand, her boss started renting a refrigerated truck that hums on the sidewalk beside the funeral home. Over the last few months, New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner has dispatched as many as 150 mobile trailers to hospitals and other locations across the city to store the overflow of bodies, transforming statistics into something more visible. But even that hasn’t been enough. Other funeral homes also struggling to make space have hired out refrigerated trucks. In one instance, police were called to a Brooklyn-based funeral business following reports of a suspicious smell, only to discover dozens of decomposing bodies kept in a U-Haul truck. |
| Her colleagues are stressed and on the edge of burn out. Ms. Garcia wonders how they’ll get through it. | Her colleagues are stressed and on the edge of burn out. Ms. Garcia wonders how they’ll get through it. |
| “I’ve cried because of us rejecting families, because of not being able to take care of their loved ones,” she said. | “I’ve cried because of us rejecting families, because of not being able to take care of their loved ones,” she said. |
| Ms. Garcia’s funeral home might be the first call a family makes. Or, it might be the fifteenth. Families break down on the phone, desperate to know what they should do or where they should go. For families that can’t find a funeral parlor, the medical examiner’s office holds bodies at morgues around the city. | Ms. Garcia’s funeral home might be the first call a family makes. Or, it might be the fifteenth. Families break down on the phone, desperate to know what they should do or where they should go. For families that can’t find a funeral parlor, the medical examiner’s office holds bodies at morgues around the city. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | Updated June 12, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Bodies that do arrive at Ms. Garcia’s funeral home are kept in the freezer or in one of the other rooms that have turned into a makeshift morgue until they’re ready for burial or cremation. Some cases are direct cremation or burial, with families choosing to have memorial services at a later date. Other families still wish to have viewings, and then Ms. Garcia will embalm the body, which can take anywhere from two to four hours, before dressing the body and placing it in the coffin so the family can pay its respects. | Bodies that do arrive at Ms. Garcia’s funeral home are kept in the freezer or in one of the other rooms that have turned into a makeshift morgue until they’re ready for burial or cremation. Some cases are direct cremation or burial, with families choosing to have memorial services at a later date. Other families still wish to have viewings, and then Ms. Garcia will embalm the body, which can take anywhere from two to four hours, before dressing the body and placing it in the coffin so the family can pay its respects. |
| While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines that embalming could be conducted on Covid-19 bodies or those suspected of having Covid-19, the World Health Organization does not recommend it. | While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines that embalming could be conducted on Covid-19 bodies or those suspected of having Covid-19, the World Health Organization does not recommend it. |
| Some funeral homes have stopped offering embalming services altogether, unless legally required (for example, if the body is going to be buried in a crypt). At first, Ms. Garcia said, it was just her boss who oversaw embalming where she works. Then she told him, “If you give me the proper P.P.E., I have no problem doing the Covid cases.” She came into this job to serve families, she said, and if embalming allows for families to say their final goodbyes, then it’s something she’s willing to do. | Some funeral homes have stopped offering embalming services altogether, unless legally required (for example, if the body is going to be buried in a crypt). At first, Ms. Garcia said, it was just her boss who oversaw embalming where she works. Then she told him, “If you give me the proper P.P.E., I have no problem doing the Covid cases.” She came into this job to serve families, she said, and if embalming allows for families to say their final goodbyes, then it’s something she’s willing to do. |
| In addition to draining fluid from the lungs during the embalming process, one of the riskiest tasks of her job is removing an intubation tube. Doing so can produce large and visible droplets that can contain the virus. The first time she had to do it, Ms. Garcia was nervous. She disinfected the tube as well as the person’s mouth and nose before removing it. She triple layered her gloves. She remembers thinking to herself, “If something sprays at me, then I have to act fast.” | In addition to draining fluid from the lungs during the embalming process, one of the riskiest tasks of her job is removing an intubation tube. Doing so can produce large and visible droplets that can contain the virus. The first time she had to do it, Ms. Garcia was nervous. She disinfected the tube as well as the person’s mouth and nose before removing it. She triple layered her gloves. She remembers thinking to herself, “If something sprays at me, then I have to act fast.” |
| When Ms. Garcia gets home from work, she strips naked at the door and heads directly for the shower. She still lives with her parents but keeps her distance from them. | When Ms. Garcia gets home from work, she strips naked at the door and heads directly for the shower. She still lives with her parents but keeps her distance from them. |
| Her self-care routine includes jigsaw puzzles, something that’s kept her sane while she tries to distract herself from the pain of her job. | Her self-care routine includes jigsaw puzzles, something that’s kept her sane while she tries to distract herself from the pain of her job. |
| “If you just see what I see,” Ms. Garcia said, “then you would want to be home.” | “If you just see what I see,” Ms. Garcia said, “then you would want to be home.” |