MANSFIELD — It’s been an overwhelming winter for the funeral industry.
Funeral homes across Richland County reported an unparalleled rush of business during November and December.
Bill Wappner, owner Of Wappner Funeral Homes, said his business received double its normal calls during the month of December.
“It’s not uncommon to be busy in the winter months because of flu season and things like that, but there’s no doubt COVID has resulted in maybe 20 to 25 percent of the deaths that we’ve had,” Wappner said.
Wappner spoke with colleagues in Cleveland and Columbus who had to rent refrigerated trucks to keep up. If his business hadn’t expanded its walk-in cooler last year, he might have had to do the same.
“I’ve been licensed for 44 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said “We’ve been having to operate the crematory extra days. We’re working on weekends just to keep up with the numbers.”
Directors at Snyder Funeral Homes and Barkdull Funeral Home reported a similar uptick in the latter months of 2020.
“Initially, when the virus hit we did not see much of an effect; however, over the last several months there has been a drastic change,” said Carli Bailey. “Where we were not receiving COVID cases during the first peak, we are now receiving an abundance of COVID-related cases.”
The Ohio Funeral Directors Association recently called for funeral home directors and staff to be given immediate access to the vaccine, citing recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and the CDC’s Advisory Council on Immunization Practices that death care workers be placed into Phase 1a for vaccine allocation.
A nationwide survey conducted by the OFDA found that 41 states that have assigned a priority to death care workers, 38 of them placed the personnel in Phase 1a or 1b, according to a press release.
“Death-care workers are on the front line of the pandemic and exposed daily to positive COVID-19 individuals as they enter hospitals and nursing homes to navigate their way through hallways to patient rooms and morgues,” the press release stated. “Moreover, an ever-increasing number of removals of deceased COVID victims are taking place from private residences where family members have been exposed.”
Barkdull Funeral Homes and Snyder Funeral Homes have yet to have a staff member become infected with COVID-19, but Wappner Funeral Homes has been less fortunate.
“We’re able to take precautions with the deceased, but that’s not where our main concern is. It’s conducting everyday business where we get exposed,” Wappner said.
Four staff members have contracted COVID-19. One died. In addition, three employees lost parents to COVID-19 and had to take time off. Several other employees had to take time off to quarantine after an exposure.
Nevertheless, funeral directors from all three homes believe their staff should be given early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Carli Bailey of Barkdull Funeral Homes said she was disappointed that funeral home directors and staff had not been considered in the early phases of Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
“Not only are our staff members going into homes, hospitals and nursing facilities where COVID positive patients are and potentially being exposed, but we also sit across the table from their loved ones to have arrangement conferences immediately after the fact,” she said.
“I think it is crucial that death care workers be considered to be on the early vaccination list as COVID-related cases and deaths are rising.”
This means death-care workers will continue to be exposed to the virus but at higher rates, Bailey said.
“One thing that’s frustrating is the federal government has designated funeral personnel as healthcare but the state of Ohio has not,” Wappner added.
Melanie Amato, the press secretary for the Ohio Department of Health, did not mention specific plans to include death-care workers in a priority group, but did not rule out the possibility.
“There are many worthy groups and many high priority groups,” Amato said in an email. “Unfortunately, the state is receiving limited amounts of vaccine. It is a scarce resource.”
“The Governor has made clear that his goals for Phases 1A and 1B are to protect healthcare workers, to save as many lives as possible and to get children back in the classroom,” she continued. “Phases 1A and 1B do not include funeral directors, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be included in other vaccination priority groups.”
Funeral homes reported that January has seen a decline in deaths and that business is returning to a more regular level of activity.
“The first few weeks we were very busy and it’s kind of slowed down now to more normal levels that we can deal with,” Wappner said. “My concern is the governor said there could be another wave in 6 to 8 weeks.”
