TOPLINE
294 healthcare workers have died from Covid-19 after fighting it on the frontlines, according to CDC data, which the National Nurses Union says is a consequence of PPE shortages.
KEY FACTS
- 62,690 healthcare workers have contracted coronavirus, resulting in 294 casualties, according to new CDC data.
- There are likely more healthcare worker casualties, as only 21% of cases reported to the CDC include information that could identify the patient as a healthcare worker.
- National Nurses United, the country’s largest nurse union, calculated a healthcare worker death count using publicly available information like obituaries and found 530 fatalities.
- These figures come after months of reported PPE shortages at healthcare facilities around the country: “Nurses and other healthcare workers continue to find themselves abandoned at COVID-19’s front lines, without PPE,” said National Nurses United. “Despite nurses’ demands, President Trump has made no effort to mass produce N95 respirators using the Defense Production Act.”
- 87% of 23,000 nurses surveyed by the NNU reported having to reuse single-use equipment when treating Covid-19 patients and 72% said they had exposed skin or clothing when treating Covid-19 patients.
BIG NUMBER
412: That’s how many first responders died combating the 9/11 attacks. This means that Covid-19 first responder deaths approach that of the most fatal terrorist attack in American history.
Read more at www.forbes.com
Alexandra Sternlicht May 28, 2020
Photo: NOAM GALAI/GETTY IMAGES