Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Doctors And Nurses Fighting The Coronavirus Outbreak Are Getting Sick And Dying - And No One Is Keeping Track

Doctors And Nurses Fighting The Coronavirus Outbreak Are Getting Sick And Dying - And No One Is Keeping Track

“We are starting to see our health care providers die very quickly from this virus,” one nurse practitioner said.

Health care workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak across the country are getting sick and dying, nurses and doctors say. And despite the fact that they’re essential to fighting the epidemic, no one in the US seems to be keeping track.

Judy Wilson-Griffin, a nurse at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, died last week after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the St. Louis American. In Georgia, two health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 died: a 48-year-old woman who worked at Donalsonville Hospital and a 42-year-old mammogram technician at Piedmont Newnan Hospital, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. And Kious Kelly, a 48-year-old assistant nursing manager at Mount Sinai West medical center in Manhattan, died Tuesday after he previously tested positive for COVID-19, according to the New York Post.

Doctors, nurses, and others in health care have sounded the alarm for weeks that a lack of access to testing and personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks and gloves, has left them at a high risk of getting exposed as they fight the virus that’s already killed more than 1,000 people in the country.

Now, they say, their fears are being realized.

“There is not one among us who is not frightened stepping through these hospital doors each day to simply continue doing our job,” Dawn Aldinger, a 59-year-old longtime nurse in Seattle, told BuzzFeed News. “I, for one, have updated my will as I am doubtful I will survive this healthcare crisis.”

And if health care workers get sick, there are cascading impacts that will affect everybody else. Doctors and nurses who keep working while infected can expose more people. If these workers go home to recover, then there are fewer of them to tend to the growing number of infections popping up across the country. If they are so critically ill that they need to seek help, there will be less resources available to treat the general public.

Despite the urgency of protecting health care workers, few states are prioritizing keeping track of whether they are testing positive or dying. Out of the 10 states currently leading the country for infections and deaths contacted by BuzzFeed News, California is the only one publicly reporting on infected health care workers.

At least 35 California health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak have already tested positive for COVID-19, state officials reported on Wednesday. Due to a lack of available testing, this is likely an undercount.

A Washington state official told BuzzFeed News they are asking everyone confirmed with COVID-19 about their profession, but due to incomplete information, they are not disclosing numbers at this time.

Officials in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, home to the country’s biggest epidemic, said the information is not publicly available. New York officials last week told health care workers not to get tested if they weren’t exhibiting symptoms, even if they were likely exposed, due to shortages in protective and testing equipment.

Meanwhile, Georgia and Michigan officials said they were not tracking health care cases. Florida, Massachusetts, and Louisiana did not respond to an inquiry from BuzzFeed News.

The CDC did not immediately respond to questions about whether the agency is tracking infections in health care workers nationwide.

In Italy, the coronavirus outbreak has overwhelmed the country’s health care system, leading to soaring fatalities and a high number of health care worker infections that has put further strain on the country’s ability to respond. Of the nearly 68,000 known infections in the country, about 9% of them, or 6,205 cases, have been health care workers, according to a March 25 update.

Health care workers in the US have told BuzzFeed News they are deeply concerned about following in Italy’s footsteps.

According to one doctor in Providence, Rhode Island, who declined to be named, the surge in suspected COVID-19 patients is starting to take a toll. “Things are starting to ramp up here,” he told BuzzFeed News in an email. ”I suspect we're about 5 days behind New York. Sadly, we have several residents, fellows, attendings and multiple nurses and other staff who have gotten sick.”

Another nurse practitioner in Washington, DC, said that a death was recently reported in a nursing message group she's in. “We are starting to see our health care providers die very quickly from this virus,” she told BuzzFeed News.

“I am deeply concerned that as the lack of PPE situation worsens, we are going to lose a large portion of our medical providers," she said. "We will then be faced with a pandemic where we don't have enough people to treat the sick, as the pinch point of care is no longer equipment like ventilators, but providers.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
EU Majority Demands Hungary Reverse Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Top Hotel Picks for 2025 Stays in Budapest Revealed
Iron Maiden Unveils 2025 Tour Setlist in Budapest
Chinese Film Week Opens in Budapest to Promote Cultural Exchange
Budapest Airport Launches Direct Flights to Shymkent
Von der Leyen Denies Urging EU Officials to Skip Budapest Pride
Alcaraz and Sinner Advance with Convincing Wins at Roland Garros
EU Ministers Lack Consensus on Sanctioning Hungary Over Rule of Law
EU Nations Urge Action Against Hungary's Pride Parade Ban
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
U.S. Considers Withdrawing Troops from Europe
Russia Deploys Motorbike Squads in Ukraine Conflict
Critics Accuse European Court of Human Rights of Overreach
Spain Proposes 100% Tax on Non-EU Holiday Home Purchases
German Intelligence Labels AfD as Far-Right Extremist
Geert Wilders Threatens Dutch Coalition Over Migration Policy
Hungary Faces Multiple Challenges Amid EU Tensions and Political Shifts
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Thirteen Killed in Russian Attacks Across Ukraine
High-Profile Incidents and Political Developments Dominate Global News
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Ukraine and Russia Conduct Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War
×