Of the 128 million vaccine doses administered so far, more than three quarters of those vaccinations are in just 10 countries that account for 60% of global GDP.
As of today, almost 130 countries, with 2.5 billion people, are yet to administer a single dose.
This self-defeating strategy will cost lives and livelihoods, give the virus further opportunity to mutate and evade vaccines and will undermine a global economic recovery.
Today,UNICEF and WHO partners for more than 70 years call on leaders to look beyond their borders and employ a vaccine strategy that can actually end the pandemic and limit variants.
Health workers have been on the frontlines of the pandemic in lower- and middle-income settings and should be protected first so they can protect us.
COVAX participating countries are preparing to receive and use vaccines. Health workers have been trained, cold chain systems primed. Whats missing is the equitable supply of vaccines.
To ensure that vaccine rollouts begin in all countries in the first 100 days of 2021, it is imperative that:
We need global leadership to scale up vaccine production and achieve vaccine equity.
COVID-19 has shown that our fates are inextricably linked. Whether we win or lose, we will do so together.
_____________________
Note to Editors
Dr. Tedros will be addressing the UNICEF Executive Board today at 10:00 am EST. Watch it live on http://webtv.un.org/
Feb 13th 2021
ON FEBRUARY 1ST researchers around the world saw the tweet for which they had been waiting: We say with caution, the magic has started. Eran Segal, a scientist at the Weizmann Institute, had been posting regular updates on the course of Israels covid-19 epidemic since its mass vaccination campaign had begun six weeks earlier. By February 1st he was seeing the number of hospitalisations dropping significantly among the over-60sa cohort in which the number vaccinated had reached 70%, seen as a crucial level, three weeks before. After an expected but still somewhat nail-biting lag, the vaccine was doing its thing.
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By February 6th about 85% of the over-60s in Israeland 40% of the general populationhad received at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine (or in a few cases the Moderna mRNA vaccine) and 75% of the over-60s had received their second dose, too. In that age group hospital admissions for covid-19 were about two-thirds what they had been at their peak in January and still falling (see chart 1). At the same time, the country as a whole was seeing its caseload rise.
The vaccine was not the only thing which arrived in Israel late last year. So did B.1.1.7, a highly contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for covid-19, which was first identified in Britain in September. It set about filling up hospital wards in Israel just as it has done in Britain, Ireland and Portugal. Despite an extended lockdown it is still doing so.
It is no surprise that SARS-CoV-2 has evolved new biological tricks over a year spent infecting more than 100m people. But the near simultaneous arrival of not just B.1.1.7 but also B.1.351, which is now the dominant strain in South Africa, and P.1, a variant first seen in Brazil, is making the roll-out of mass vaccination more complicated and more confusing than might have been hoped when the first evidence of safe, effective vaccines became available last November. How fast the various new variants can spread, how well todays vaccines work against them and how soon new vaccines better attuned to themand to the other variants which will turn up over timebecome available will determine the course of the pandemic.
As of February 10th at least nine vaccines had been authorised for use in one or more countries. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, first out of the gate, has now been authorised for use in 61, as well as for emergency use by the WHO. The number of doses administered, 148m, now exceeds the number of confirmed covid-19 cases recorded over the entire course of the pandemic. All of the vaccines appear very good at preventing severe cases of covid-19 of the sort that lead to hospitalisation and/or death; in trials which compared the vaccinated with control groups the efficacy with which the various vaccines prevented these outcomes was 85-100%.
Their efficacy against all symptomatic cases of the disease found in trials has been lower, ranging between 66% and 95%. Some of that range is down to intrinsic differences between the vaccines. Some is down to trials being done according to different protocols and in different populations, sometimes against different variants of the virus. It is hard to disentangle such effects. The general message, though, is fairly clear. The vaccines make serious cases of all sorts very rare, and mild-to-moderate cases caused by the original strain of the virus a lot rarer than they would be otherwise.
That is undoubtedly good news; it lessens the death toll, the suffering and the strain on hospitals. But the situation is not perfect. For one thing mild and moderate cases can be worse than they sound. Many cases of long covid, a debilitating form of the disease in which some effects last for months, follow original infections that were not severe enough to require hospital admission. It is not yet clear whether long covid is less likely in people who have been vaccinated.
What is more, this pattern of effects does not reveal what the vaccines are doing about transmission. As Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida, points out, there are two ways one can imagine a vaccine bringing about the pattern of protection the covid-19 vaccines have been seen to provide (see chart 2). In one of them the same number of infections occurs as would occur otherwise, but the consequences of these infections are systematically downgraded. Thus almost all of the infections which would lead to severe cases lead to moderate or mild cases, and many of the infections that would have led to moderate or mild cases produce no symptoms at all.
The alternative is that the total number of infections is being reduced, but the ratio of severe to mild to asymptomatic cases stays roughly the same. The already low number of deaths and hospitalisations shrinks to something hardly there. The number of mild cases is similarly deflated (although, since bigger, remains palpable). And so is the number of asymptomatic cases. Indeed, the main difference between the two scenarios is that in one the asymptomatic cases rise, and in the other they fall.
In the real world there is almost certainly a bit of both going on: lower infections overall and a lessening of the symptoms that follow, with different vaccines offering different profiles. But considering the two extremes is still instructive. Vaccines which do little more than downgrade the symptoms will be doing relatively little to stop the spread of the virus. Honey-I-shrank-the-infections vaccines, on the other hand, will be making a big dent in the epidemics now infamous R numberthe number of new infections to which each infection gives rise. If you imagine reducing what are known as non pharmaceutical interventionsmasks, social distancing, shelter at home orders and the likethat difference would begin to matter a lot.
Some people will not be vaccinated, either because of pre-existing conditions which make it dangerous for them, because there isnt enough vaccine for everyone, or because they choose not to (see article). If the vaccines are basically downgrading symptoms, then these unvaccinated people will be at risk. If they are making the virus less transmissible that risk will be lessened.
A covid-19 vaccine that is highly effective in preventing transmission will, therefore, be particularly useful. According to a model by Imperial College London, all other things being equal, a vaccine that blocks 40% of infections and thus prevents 40% of disease would have a similar impact on the number of covid-19 deaths as a vaccine that got rid of 80% of disease but left infection untouched.
Epidemiologists are waiting with bated breath for results that will tell them how good existing vaccines are at reducing asymptomatic infections and infectiousness. Data from Israel suggest that the viral load in swabs from infected individuals is lower if they have been vaccinated. Clinical trials of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine suggest that the jab may halve infections as detected by PCR tests. Such results suggest that covid-19 vaccines are likely to reduce overall transmission of the virus. But understanding quite how much transmission is blockedand the degree to which some vaccines are better at blocking transmission than otherswill take months.
And then there is the further complication of the new variants. Vaccines seem to have no particular problem with B.1.1.7. It just complicates things by running through the unimmunised parts of the population that bit faster. B.1.351, which has now been found in more than 30 countries, is of greater concern. At least three vaccinesthose from Oxford/AstraZeneca, J&J and Novavaxhave been found to be less effective at stopping it from causing disease than they are against variants elsewhere. There is increasing evidence that P.1, now also reported in a number of countries beyond Brazil, also appears to be better at avoiding immunity created by prior infection and by some vaccines.
Countries that have already vaccinated a lot of people could be brought back to square one by the spread of such variants. Britain, where 13m people had been vaccinated as of February 10th, and millions more have been infected and thus have some immunity (British studies have found reinfection very rare for at least five months), is trying hard to keep B.1.351 from making inroads in the population. Health authorities are mass-testing neighbourhoods where cases of B.1.351 have been spotted and are doing particularly meticulous contact tracing when a case is found. Border controls have been tightened.
Not all such new variants can be spotted and stopped at borders. Mutations can arise anywheresometimes the phone call is coming from inside the house. But there may be a limited range of mutations about which people need to worry. The new variants all differ from the original virus and from each other in various ways. But P.1 and B.1.351 both share a particular mutational quirktechnically called E484K but mercifully nicknamed Eric or Eekwhich makes a specific change to the spike protein on the outside of the virus. Eek has now been found in some isolates of B.1.1.7. too. Researchers are beginning to think that the change Eek represents is what allows those variants to infect people even if they have been vaccinated or previously infected.
It would be great if there were no vaccine-resistant strains. But given that there are, the possibility that they are all using the same trick offers a bit of comfort. It suggests that Eek may be the best way for new variants to avoid immune responses capable of dealing with the original strain, or at least the way evolution can most easily find. If the variants have all converged on the same trick, tweaking vaccines to protect against one may protect against alland against any later variants to which natural selection teaches the same ruse. If the virus had found a whole panoply of ways by which to avoid existing immune responses things would look a lot worse.
Whether or not Eek turns out to be crucial, new ways of broadening immunity are on their way. Some vaccine-makers are developing booster shots designed to help people vaccinated with earlier versions of their jabs deal with new variants. Others are developing vaccines intended to work for multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants straight away. On February 3rd GlaxoSmithKline and CureVac, a German biotech company with an mRNA vaccine in late-stage clinical trials, added their names to those developing such multivalent vaccines.
Tweaked covid-19 vaccines will not be required to go through large scale clinical trials to prove their efficacy, any more than updated seasonal flu shots do; small trials that look for markers of immunity in the blood may suffice. Britains National Health Service, which should be able to vaccinate all adults who choose to be jabbed by the end of the summer, is already starting to make plans for a round of covid-19 booster shots aimed at new variants in the autumn. Increased surveillance may yet provide advance warning of which variants need to be dealt with by subsequent tweaks. It will take luck, diligence and hard work, but the magic that started at the beginning of this year may be made to last for many years to come.
Dig deeper
All our stories relating to the pandemic and the vaccines can be found on our coronavirus hub. You can also listen to The Jab, our new podcast on the race between injections and infections, and find trackers showing the global roll-out of vaccines, excess deaths by country and the viruss spread across Europe and America.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline "Obstacle course"
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) Wichita Public Schools teachers will begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations on Saturday, February 13.
The district has received its first supply of vaccines on Friday (Feb. 12) and will begin the first round at theWichita Public Schools Alvin Morris Administrative Center. The prioritization plan for employees will follow Phase 2 of Governor Kellys vaccination plan. Employees who are eligible will be notified directly by Health Services.
Employees who responded to the survey will be considered for vaccination through the AMAC site.
More information can be found here.
Were thrilled to have them said Terri Moses with Wichita Public Schools. Weve been ready. We filled out the forms, we got the space set up. Weve been ready. Its just a matter of when we got the phone call that they were available.
The distribution plan is as follows:
The district said staff from multiple buildings will be selected for vaccination on a given day, rather than vaccinating all staff at one building on the same day and risking impact based on vaccine reaction.
The district added if employees have an opportunity to receive a vaccine at another location, they are encouraged to do so. No staff members are required to get the vaccine.
We wanna make sure we educate people in terms of the values of the vaccinations, but also the negatives, said Moses. We also want people to make an educated decision in regards to whether or not they get vaccinated.
The distribution process was created with the help of staff members and local health officials. The district sent a survey out to all staff members and said about half returned with responses.
One of the absolute musts of this process is getting vaccinations to as many people in the community as we can and that includes our staff, said Moses.
Judge Clay Jenkins said in a tweet that Fair Park would be closed Saturday through Monday, but that officials would monitoring conditions to decide when to reopen.
Updated at 9:50 p.m. with information about Denton, Collin counties.
With cold temperatures and wintry precipitation forecasted to hit North Texas over the next few days, local officials are evaluating their vaccine operations.
Officials said Friday the vaccination distribution plans for the next few days could change based on the weather. Heres what we know so far about the plans for Fair Park and Arlington E-Sports Stadium, heading into the weekend:
Fair Park in Dallas:
FRIDAY: OPEN, NOON TO 7PM
Vaccinations began around noon. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said they are only administering second shots to those who were due to get their second shots Monday to Thursday of this week.
Operations were moved inside Friday. Earlier this week, Dallas County officials told WFAA its difficult to keep the vaccine at a stable temperature once thawed, while standing outside for drive-thru operations.
On Friday, Jenkins said there are heated buses to take you to the building from your car."
If your day was (Saturday to get the vaccine), and were not open (Saturday), and were able to open again some time next week, youll be the first ones to get in, Jenkins said.
Jenkins tweeted Friday afternoon that the site, which was originally going to be open Sunday, is now going to be closed.
"We understand this is a frustrating situation for many who were hoping to receive their second dose of the vaccine on their scheduled date," Jenkins tweeted. "With expected extreme weather conditions, including dangerously low temperatures and hazardous roadways, we must prioritize peoples safety."
Fair Park is closed "due to weather."
NEXT WEEK: TO BE DETERMINED
Jenkins said the forecast appears to be favorable next Friday and Saturday. But plans for the middle of the week are still up in the air.
Well just have to wait and see about Tuesday through Thursday, Jenkins told WFAA. If the weather is not safe for seniors to drive on it doesnt matter whether were (giving shots) inside or outside (at Fair Park) we wont be open because Im not going to have people get into a dangerous car wreck to get here.
Tarrant County
ARLINGTON E-SPORTS STADIUM:
Vaccines were administered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY: CLOSED
Arlington Fire Department Lt. Richard Fegan told WFAA the E-Sports vaccination site will be closed.
TUESDAY: OPEN, WEATHER-PERMITTING
As of right now, Fegan said the plan is to give people their second doses, weather-permitting.
WEDNESDAY: OPEN, WEATHER-PERMITTING
There were people who did not show up for their appointments this week due to the weather Arlington Fire prepared for this. It is possible that on Wednesday, they may be giving out first shots to people who missed their appointments this week.
AFD will send notifications to everybody involved.
The vaccination site at Amon Carter Stadium at TCU won't open now until Feb. 20.
Denton County
No vaccine clinics are scheduled in the early part of the week, including Texas Motor Speedway. Officials will monitor weather and will consider reopening clinics Friday or Saturday.
Collin County
Appointments at the large Plano site at John Clark Stadium will be cancelled Monday and Tuesday. Appointments will be rescheduled when the weather cooperates
The Allen site will resume Friday, Feb. 19.
The other smaller sites are basing decisions on weather and how much vaccine state allocates to them.
*These are latest updates provided to WFAA from each county as of Friday, Feb. 12. and will be subject to change. Please refer to your county's public health page for immediate changes and updates.
Regardless of the number of confirmed cases, the recommended protocols do not change. Our residents and business community should continue to follow the CDC guidelines regarding social distancing (stay at least 6 feet away from each other), wash hands regularly, avoid touching your face and stay indoors except for essential trips and to get medical care. If we all implement these practices into our daily routine it will go a long way towards slowing the spread.
Florists hoping for Valentines Day uptick more likely face lossesABC News: Nicole Asher
By Freya Michie
Many Victorian small business who had hoped for brisk Valentine's Day trade today, are instead more likely to make losses due to the state's snap "circuit-breaker" five-day lockdown, now in its second day.
Stephanie Rondos from the small, family run 'In Full Bloom' florist in South Melbourne said she would be lucky to break even on what should have been one of the busiest days of the year.
"Everything changed so quickly, we didn't expect it, so we had ordered as we would have for a normal Valentine's Day," she said.
"Being a small family business, we have struggled throughout this pandemic, like so many other small businesses, so today would have been one of those days that would have brought us back on top, but it hasn't been the case," Ms Rondos said.
"I think this will set us back significantly ... but we're all hands on deck doing everything we can to try to recoup the money we're potentially going to lose today," she said.
"We're just hoping every thing is back to normal by Mother's Day," she said.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. A Mid-South doctor has died of a COVID-related illness. However, he never knew he had the virus and hed been vaccinated.
Dr. J Barton Williams, called a student of medicine and science, went from doctor to patient when he fell ill weeks ago. Dr. Stephen Threlkeld helped treat him at Baptist Hospital.
Threlkeld says the disease quickly went from diagnosis to death.
It was matter of days, Threlkeld said. Just a tragedy.
Williams, an Orthopedic Surgeon for OrthoSouth, died February 8 of multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS, a condition usually affecting children and attacking the immune system.
The immune system attacks the body in many ways and causes multi-organ system failure, Threlkeld said. It affects the heart, the gastrointestinal tract and other places.
Threlkeld says Williams tested positive for COVID antibodies, meaning he had COVID at one time, but he never knew it. And he had gotten his second COVID vaccine just weeks before his death.
After rumors that the vaccine contributed to his death, Williamss family allowed those who treated him to do the unprecedented: speak out about his condition.
The family has been incredibly generous and courageous in allowing the details of his case to be put out there for those of us who took care of him, just to try and make sure the facts were out there true, Threlkeld said.
They want to dispel rumors this was a new variant of COVID. Threlkeld says they never found an active virus in Williams body.
It does seem to be in every case we have seen so far to be related to the virus itself, Threlked said. Its a post-viral, sometimes a few weeks later, a post-viral effect. Not during the first part of it.
We asked if the vaccine could not be a protector against this because Williams had already been predisposed to the COVID virus.
Its a very important question. All preliminary, Threlkeld said. We are working with the CDC to see how vaccines can play in all directions. We dont have any data to suggest the vaccine has any affect in either direction.
Health officials are meeting daily to study Williamss rare case. But theyre still spreading the message that everyone should be vaccinated.
The way to avoid this rare, albeit terrible, illness is to get the vaccine, Threlkeld said. The way to avoid it is to prevent the infection in the first place.
He says its something Williams would want.
He would want this out there and the facts. he would want the true facts out there and to have an effect to save other people, Threlkeld said. And you certainly hear his voice in this by saying get your vaccine.
Were told the exact cause of Williamss death has not been determined and an autopsy is pending.
Here are the latest developments on thecoronavirus pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area for Saturday.
1st suspected variant case connected to Toronto homeless shelter
Toronto officials have announced the first suspect case of a COVID-19 variant linked to a homeless shelter in the city.
In a news release issued Saturday, officials said a COVID-19 case at the Maxwell Meighen Centre in Moss Park has screened positive for a variant of concern and further testing is underway to confirm what type of variant it is.
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Officials said there are eight COVID-19 cases at the shelter and all of those who tested positive or were close contacts have been sent to an isolation site.
Further testing for staff and clients is underway.
Ontario health-care workers struggle with burnout as economy poised to reopen
Bracing for impact, front-line workers in Ontario continue providing care as the threat of a third wave of COVID-19 infections looms against the backdrop of an economy poised to reopen.
[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]
Restrictions in Ontario are easing up, and in-person schooling in COVID-19 hot spots, including Toronto, York and Peel regions, is slated to resume next week.
While many people are happy about these measures, some health-care workers say its too much too soon.
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Status of cases in the GTA
Ontario reported a total of 1,300 new cases on Saturday.
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Ontario reports 1,300 new cases, 19 deaths
With the 1,300 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported Saturday, the total number of cases in Ontario rises to 284,887.
A total of 265,893 COVID-19 cases are considered resolved, which is up by 1,434 and is 93.3 per cent of all confirmed cases.
Nineteen additional deaths were also reported on Saturday, bringing the provincial death toll to 6,651.
Provincial figures showed there are 786 people hospitalized with the virus (up by 23), with 287 in intensive care (down by eight), 203 of whom are on a ventilator (down by one).
Just over 14,500 more COVID-19 vaccine doses administered
As of 8 p.m. Friday, 456,947 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Ontario, which is up by 14,506.
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So far, 164,307 people have received both required doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
With files from Katherine Ward
2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Dr. Sheetal Khedkar Rao, 42, an internist in suburban Chicago, cant pinpoint the exact moment when she decided to hang up her stethoscope for the last time. There were the chaos and confusion of the spring, when a nationwide shortage of N95 masks forced her to examine patients with a surgical mask, the fears she might take the coronavirus home to her family and the exasperating public disregard for mask-wearing and social distancing that was amplified by the White House.
Among the final blows, though, were a 30 percent pay cut to compensate for a drop in patients seeking primary care, and the realization that she needed to spend more time at home after her children, 10 and 11, switched to remote learning.
Everyone says doctors are heroes and they put us on a pedestal, but we also have kids and aging parents to worry about, said Dr. Rao, who left her practice in October. After awhile, the emotional burden and moral injury become too much to bear.
Doctors, paramedics and nurses aides have been hailed as Americas frontline Covid warriors, but gone are the days when people applauded workers outside hospitals and on city streets.
Now, a year into the pandemic, with emergency rooms packed again, vaccines in short supply and more contagious variants of the virus threatening to unleash a fresh wave of infections, the nations medical workers are feeling burned out and unappreciated.
Over the last year, there have been the psychological trauma of overworked intensive care doctors forced to ration care, the crushing sense of guilt for nurses who unknowingly infected patients or family members, and the struggles of medical personnel who survived Covid-19 but are still hobbled by the fatigue and brain fog that hamper their ability to work.
Researchers say the pandemics toll on the nations health care work force will play out long after the coronavirus is tamed. The impact, for now, can be measured in part by a surge of early retirements and the desperation of community hospitals struggling to hire enough workers to keep their emergency rooms running.
Everyone wants to talk about vaccines, vaccines, vaccines, but for our members, all they want to talk about is work force, work force, work force, said Alan Morgan, chief executive of the National Rural Health Association. Right now our hospitals and our workers are just getting crushed.
Some health care experts are calling for a national effort to track the psychological well-being of medical professionals, much like the federal health program that monitors workers who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
We have a great obligation to people who put their lives on the line for the nation, said Dr. Victor J. Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine.
Celia Nieto, 44, an intensive care nurse in Las Vegas, said many Americans had scant appreciation for the tribulations that she and her colleagues face day after day. There is the physical exhaustion of lifting and turning patients on their bellies so they might breathe easier, the never-ending scramble to adjust ventilators and pain medication, and the mental anguish of telling relatives she doesnt have the time to help them FaceTime with their loved ones.
It feels like were failing, when in actuality were working with what weve got and we dont have enough, she said. We feel quite helpless, and its a real injury to our psyches.
Dr. Donald Pathman, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said he was struck by the early results of a study he has been conducting on the pandemics effect on clinicians who serve in poor communities. Many of the 2,000 medical, dental and mental health professionals who have participated in the survey so far say they are disillusioned.
There is a lot of personal trauma, Dr. Pathman said. Many people have been scarred by their experiences during the pandemic, and they will look to leave their practices.
In interviews, doctors who have recently left the field or are considering early retirement said the pandemic had exacerbated frustrations spurred by shifts in the business of medical care that often required them to work longer hours without increased compensation.
In a survey released in September by the online site Medscape, two-thirds of American doctors said they had grappled with intense burnout during the pandemic, with a similar percentage reporting a drop in income. A quarter of respondents said their experiences with Covid had led them to exit the medical field.
Another survey, by the Physicians Foundation, found that 8 percent of doctors in the United States had closed their offices during the pandemic, translating to 16,000 fewer private practices.
Feb. 13, 2021, 6:10 p.m. ET
Dr. Erica Bial, a pain specialist from suburban Boston who barely survived Covid-19 last spring, said she felt increasingly drained.
We put on our masks and come to work every day because we dont have the luxury of working from home in our pajamas, but the apathy and ennui thats taken hold of society just makes our job feel thankless, said Dr. Bial, who works full time despite struggling with the lingering effects of her illness. Its so demoralizing.
Staffing shortages have been especially acute at nursing homes and long-term care facilities. They were already struggling to retain employees before the pandemic, but many are now facing an existential shortage of skilled workers. According to a study released last week by the nonpartisan U.S. PIRG Education Fund, more than 20 percent of the nations 15,000 nursing homes reported severe shortages of nursing aides in December, up from 17 percent in May, a significant jump over such a short period.
As more and more medical staff members fall ill or quit, those who remain on the job have to work harder, and the quality of care invariably suffers, said Dr. Michael L. Barnett, assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who served as a consultant to the study.
Its a recipe for a collapse in the work force, he said.
So far, the federal government has shown little interest in addressing what Dr. Dzau, of the National Academy of Medicine, writing in The New England Journal of Medicine, described as a parallel pandemic of psychological trauma among health workers.
He and other experts say the government should start by making a concerted effort to accurately count medical worker infections and fatalities.
There is no comprehensive federal government count of worker deaths. But according to a tally by Kaiser Health News and the Guardian, more than 3,300 nurses, doctors, social workers and physical therapists have died from Covid-19 since March.
Experts say the death toll is most likely far higher. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts 1,332 deaths among medical personnel, which is striking given that its sister agency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, lists roughly the same number of deaths just among nursing home workers a small portion of those employed by the nations hospitals, health clinics and private practices.
A number of studies suggest that medical professionals made up 10 percent to 20 percent of all coronavirus cases in the early months of the pandemic though they comprise roughly 4 percent of the population.
Christopher R. Friese, a researcher at University of Michigan, said the governments failure to track health care workers had most likely contributed to many unnecessary deaths. Without detailed, comprehensive data, he said, federal health authorities have been hamstrung in their ability to identify patterns and come up with interventions.
The number of health care worker deaths in this country are staggering, but as shocking and horrifying as they are, we cant be surprised because some very basic tools to address the crisis were left on the shelf, said Dr. Friese, who directs the schools Center for Improving Patient and Population Health.
Jasmine Reed, a spokeswoman for the C.D.C., acknowledged the limitations of its coronavirus case data, noting that the agency relies on reporting from state health departments and that can vary according to the state. At least a dozen states do not even participate in the C.D.C.s reporting process, she said.
Many medical workers who have survived Covid-19 face more immediate challenges. Dr. Bial, the pain specialist from Boston, is still plagued by fatigue and impaired lung function.
The day before I got sick, I could comfortably run eight to 10 miles, said Dr. Bial, 45, who started a Facebook group memorializing doctors lost to Covid. Now I go out for a brisk walk and my heart is pounding. Im starting to wonder whether these effects could be permanent.
Dr. Andrew T. Chan, a professor at Harvard Medical School and a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has been studying the pandemics disproportionate toll on health care workers, said his preliminary research suggested that long haulers in the medical field suffer greater health challenges than the overall population. That is in part because they are often exposed to increased levels of virus, which can lead to more severe illness.
Another factor, he said, is that the worsening staffing shortages in much of the country lead many Covid survivors to return to work before they have fully recovered.
Health care workers are likely to experience a greater risk of long-term complications, Dr. Chan said. Covid could impact our health care system for years to come by not only depleting our work force but by impairing the ability of survivors to do their jobs.
