Amnesty International analysis: Over 7,000 health workers have died from COVID-19 globally

Amnesty International has published new data, that reveals an estimated 7,000 health workers around the world have now died from Covid-19. According to the analysis, at least 1,320 health workers are confirmed to have died in Mexico alone, the highest known figure for any country.

Amnesty International also recorded high numbers of health worker deaths in the USA (1,077) and Brazil (634), where infection and death rates have been high throughout the pandemic, as well as alarming figures in South Africa (240) and India (573), where infection rates have soared in recent months.

“For over seven thousand people to die while trying to save others is a crisis on a staggering scale”
Steve Cockburn – Head of Economic and Social Justice

The countries with the highest estimated numbers of health workers who have died from COVID-19 include:

Given the lack of official and comprehensive data about COVID-19 related health workers deaths in many countries, this map was compiled using different sources across countries. The data presented here give a snapshot of available information but must be interpreted and compared across countries with caution. First, the understanding of who constitutes a “health worker” is not consistent across all countries, and in many countries, essential workers are not reflected in these statistics at all. Second, the sources of data are not comparable in all countries. Some governments have instituted a reasonably comprehensive tracking of health and essential workers’ infections and deaths, and where this is the case, the map uses this data. In other countries, Amnesty International has relied on nongovernmental sources, such as civil society monitoring, because government data is either non-existent or inadequate. Finally, even where credible data exists, it is hard to extrapolate why the numbers look the way they do without further analysis. The data can depend, for example, on whether testing for health workers was readily available, and whether states were recording which health and essential worker deaths were related to COVID-19. In some countries, the numbers of COVID-19 related deaths and infections for health and essential workers may be high because the scale of the pandemic was severe. In other countries, this may be high because adequate PPE was not available, or the statistics may only reflect the fact that a greater proportion of health workers were tested as compared to the general population. The overall figure is likely to be a significant underestimate due to under-reporting, while accurate comparisons across countries are difficult due to differences in counting. For example, the UK is one of the few countries to count deaths of both health and social care workers, while France has collected data from just some of its hospitals and health centres. A list of deceased health worked provided by a health association in Russia are contested by the government.

Mexico (1,320)
USA (1,077)
UK (649)
Brazil (634)
Russia (631)
India (573)
South Africa (240)
Italy (188)
Peru (183)
Iran (164)
Egypt (159)
Bolivia (130)

Figures for countries may not always be directly comparable due to different methods used to collect data, and definitions of health workers used in different countries. These figures are likely to be a significant underestimate, due to underreporting by many of the countries included in the analysis.

1,320 deaths in Mexico

The number of COVID-19 infections has recently passed seven million in Latin America, and Amnesty International recorded especially high numbers of health worker deaths in Mexico (1320), Brazil (634) and Peru (183).

In Mexico, the official health worker death toll is a staggering 1,320. As of 25 August, the Mexican Ministry of Health confirmed 97,632 cases of COVID 19 among health workers.

There have been reports that hospital cleaners in Mexico are especially vulnerable to infection. Many cleaners in health settings in Mexico are outsourced, which means they have less protection.

Methodology

Working with a data scientist, Amnesty International regularly reviews and collates data related to deaths among health care workers from multiple sources. Sources include memorial pages, government figures, lists compiled by national medical associations, and lists and obituaries published in media around the world.

Cover Photo: Shutterstock file photo

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