COVID-19 has affected many people, including medical professionals. However, according to a recent study by the CDC and reported by the UK Guardian, the number of people dying from COVID-19 has been gravely underreported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the infection tally on Tuesday and said 27 health worker deaths have been recorded, based on a small number of test-result reports.
Officials stressed that the count was drawn from just 16% of the nation’s Covid-19 cases, so the true numbers of healthcare infections and deaths are certainly far higher.
CDC officials said data provided by states most closely tracking the occupations of people with the virus suggest that healthcare workers account for about 11% of all Covid-19 infections.
“We wanted to spotlight healthcare providers because they are the national heroes now caring for others with this disease at a time of great uncertainty,” said Dr Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC. “We know their institutions are trying to provide material to help them work safely, but already thousands have been infected.” (source)