Morgues Overflowing As Hong Kong Suffers Deadly Covid Wave

In under three months since the highly transmissible variant broke through, Hong Kong has recorded nearly a million infections and more than 4,600 deaths -- the bulk of them from the city's unvaccinated elderly population.

Workers in PPE gear in Hong Kong carted the bodies of coronavirus victims into refrigerated shipping containers on Wednesday, as the city's morgues run out of space from a deadly Omicron surge. 

In under three months since the highly transmissible variant broke through, Hong Kong has recorded nearly a million infections and more than 4,600 deaths -- the bulk of them from the city's unvaccinated elderly population. 

A funeral industry representative told local media the soaring death toll had seen a crunch in the city's coffins supply, with only 300 remaining and expected to be gone by the weekend. 

Leader Carrie Lam acknowledged the supply issues during a press conference Wednesday, and said two more shipments of coffins will arrive in Hong Kong from the mainland soon.