By Victoria Mckeown-
Nearly 3,000 U.S healthcare workers have died in the Covid-19 pandemic since March- a far higher number than that reported by the government, according to a new joint media analysis.
The analysis stated that people of colour were disproportionately affected, accounting for over 65% of fatalities in cases in which there is race and ethnicity data. The report did not address the reasons for the disproportionate deaths among people of colour, some of which includes PPE shortage and the multiplicity of BAME black health care social workers who work long hours to maximise earnings. Many BAME health workers were also on the front line.
After conducting interviews with relatives and friends of about 300 victims, the Guardian and KHN said that one-third of the deaths involved concerns over inadequate PPE. The Guardian is reputed for its broad and innovative research on serious topics of public interest.
Most Affected Areas
The most affected areas revealed by the research, were New York and New Jersey, and significant numbers also died in southern and western states in the ensuing months, the researchers said.
The findings are part of Lost on the Frontline, a nine-month data a broad investigative project by KHN and the Guardian to track every healthcare worker who dies as a result of the pandemic.
Root Cause
Lost on the Frontline is calling for new government action to explore the root cause of healthcare worker deaths and take steps to better track them. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services recently asked the National Academies of Sciences for a “rapid expert consultation” on why so many healthcare workers are dying in the US, making reference to the Guardian and KHN’s count of fallen workers.
Federal Tracking System
The report by the national academies indicates a new federal tracking system and specially trained contact tracers now expected to take PPE policies and availability into consideration.
“Those [healthcare workers] are people who walked into places of work every day because they cared about patients, putting food on the table for families and every single one of those lives matter,” said Sue Anne Bell, a University of Michigan assistant professor of nursing and the co-author of the National Academies report.
The example of a 41-year-old nurse practitioner Kindra Irons died 1 December after her lungs were destroyed, was given. The woman saw seven or eight home health patients a week while wearing full PPE, including an N95 mask and a face shield, her husband, Marcus Irons said.
Marcus Irons said he is now struggling to financially support their two youngest children, ages 12 and 15. “Nobody should have to go through what we’re going through,” he said.
Over 70 reporters at the Guardian and KHN, have scrutinized numerous governmental and public data sources, interviewed the bereaved, and spoken with healthcare experts to build a count.
They have used news outlets and in online postings by the bereaved, and also relatives of the deceased as part of their research.
Compensation
Representative Norma Torres of California referenced the data citing the need for a pending bill that would provide compensation to the families of healthcare workers who died or sustained long-term disabilities from Covid-19.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon referenced the tally in a Senate finance committee hearing about the medical supply chain. “The fact is,” he said, “the shortages of PPE have put our doctors and nurses and caregivers in grave danger.”