Managing Mass Fatalities during COVID-19 Lessons for Promoting Community Resilience during Global Pandemics

The authors discuss the handling of decedents during the COVID-19 pandemic and note that many lessons learned from fatality management during the 2010 Haiti earthquake have yet to be incorporated. The article highlights the challenges of managing mass fatalities during the pandemic and other recent examples across the world (the Haiti earthquake and recent Ebola outbreaks). It concludes with practical steps for local, state, and federal governments to take before and during mass fatality incidents, such as developing a mass fatality management plan, stockpiling resources to handle a surge of decedents, and providing psychological support to first responders and families.