An advertising company created hospital beds that convert into a coffin amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Rodolfo Gomez, left, and his employees demonstrate how their design of a cardboard box can serve as both a hospital bed and a coffin, designed for COVID-19 patients, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, May 8, 2020. Gomez said he plans to donate the first units to Colombia's Amazonas state, and that he will sell others to small hospitals for 87 dollars. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) (Fernando Vergara, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

BOGOTA, Colombia – An advertising company located in Bogota, Colombia recently pitched an idea to build a dual hospital/coffin bed to help overwhelmed funeral homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Associated Press reported.

A video from ABC Displays shows the materials used to create a cardboard bed with metal railings that doubles as a coffin bed when a patient dies.

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According to their Facebook page, translated from Spanish, the company noted how the new invention would contribute to the hospital system’s capacity and highlighting that the cardboard uses biodegradable materials.

Resiliencia + creatividad es lo que necesitamos todos para sobrevivir a esta Pandemia.

Posted by ABC Displays on Wednesday, April 29, 2020

The beds cost $85 and can hold up to 335 pounds, according to General Manager Rodolfo Gomez, who is in the video. He worked with a private clinic on the design which hopes the bed can put into good use for emergency clinics that may be saturated with COVID-19 patients.

The company noted that it is their hope that the second function of the bed does not need to be used.

ABC Displays, based in Bogota, are usually at work producing advertisements and designs, but business has been paralyzed as lockdown measures were implemented by the Colombian government, according to the Associated Press.


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A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.