Nurses, surgeons, janitors: the first US health workers to die from Covid-19

[Judi Lynn]

We are launching a project to document the lives of every US medical worker who dies helping patients during the pandemic. These are some of the first tragic cases

Sarah Varney, Melissa Bailey, Danielle Renwick and Christina Jewett

Wed 15 Apr 2020 05.00 EDT

America’s healthcare workers are dying. In some states, medical staff account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. From doctors to hospital cleaners and from nursing home aides to paramedics, those most at risk have already helped save thousands of lives.

Not all these medical professionals survive their encounters with patients. Hospitals are overwhelmed, workers lack protective equipment and some staff suffer from underlying health conditions that make them vulnerable to this pernicious virus.

Health authorities in the US have no consistent way of tallying the deaths of healthcare workers. As of 14 April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 27 deaths among health workers – but our reporting shows that is likely a vast undercount.

Lost on the frontline is a collaboration between the Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of healthcare workers in the US who die from Covid-19, and to understand why so many are falling victim to the pandemic.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/15/nurses-surgeons-janitors-first-us-health-workers-to-die-covid-19