In the United States, nearly 600 frontline health workers have died from COVID-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus, according to a project by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian.
The health workers include doctors, paramedics, nurses, and health staff members, such as hospital administrators and janitors, and nursing home workers.
The project, called Lost on the Frontline, found that most of these medical workers were African American or Asian/Pacific Islander.
The project by Kaiser Health News and The Guardian features the names and obituaries of over 100 of those workers. The news outlets said more profiles will be added twice weekly.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recorded over 71,000 cases, with 375 deaths among medical professionals as of Tuesday morning; however, experts say the number is an undercount.
Kaiser Health News said the number of reported COVID-19 deaths is “expected to grow.”
The Lost on the Frontline project will track information such as age, race and ethnicity, profession, location, and access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
Kaiser said a free interactive database would be released to the public this summer.
“In some states, medical staff account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases,” per the project’s home page.
The team of Kaiser and The Guardian has gathered information from family, friends, colleagues, unions, and media reports.
The project aims to document how and why so many health workers have died during the coronavirus pandemic.
Globally, over 600 nurses have died from COVID-19, according to the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The group estimated that more than 450,000 health workers might have contracted COVID-19. CEO of ICN Howard Catton said in a news release, “For weeks now, we have been asking for data about infections and deaths among nurses to be collected. Countries need clear reporting and monitoring mechanisms.”
