Oakland County is scouting ice rinks to store bodies during the coronavirus pandemic if its morgue runs out of space, county officials said Wednesday.

Casimir Miarka, administrator for the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office, said the ice rinks would be used in a worst-case scenario.

County spokesman Bill Mullan said the morgue took in 10 bodies Wednesday from a hospital with its own morgue at capacity, the first since the coronavirus pandemic hit Michigan in March. He declined to identify the hospital.

But he said it underscores the fact that "we're still in the thick of this fight. Our M.E. now has to help with storage."

Miarka said he did not know the cause of death for the bodies brought in Wednesday, and whether they were related to COVID-19.

The morgue has two refrigerated units on its premises to store bodies brought in by area hospitals. Each can hold 20 to 25 bodies.

Wayne County has also brought in refrigerated units to handle any surge in COVID-19 deaths.

Other health systems have also brought in refrigerated units to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases.

A spokesman for the Detroit Medical Center confirmed it has mobile refrigeration units.

"Like hospitals in New York and elsewhere, we have secured additional resources such as mobile refrigeration units to help temporarily manage the capacity issue caused by COVID-19," Brian Taylor told the Free Press this week.