At Least 83 Filipinos Among Registered Nurses Who Died From COVID-19 In US: Report

A total of 83 Philippine registered nurses are among the more than 3,200 healthcare workers who have died from COVID-19 in the United States, according to data from US National Nurses United.

“As of February 11, 2021, we found that at least 329 registered nurses and 3,233 healthcare workers, including these registered nurses, have died of COVID-19 and related complications while working in healthcare settings,” the NNU said in a update of their report “Sins of Omissions” published for the first time in September 2020.

Of the 329 deaths, the group said 170 of the 314 registered nurses for whom race / ethnicity data is available are nurses of color, including Filipinos.

“Eighty-three (26.4 percent) of the 314 RNs, for whom race / ethnicity data is available, who have died of COVID-19 and related complications are Filipinos. They make up 4 percent of registered nurses in the United States, ”he said.

“Just under half (48.8 percent) of the registered nurses of color who have died to date have been Filipinos.”

The NNU said it documented the deaths using media reports, social media, obituaries, union memorials, federal and state reports, and its own internal reports.

But the group believes its estimates of more than 3,200 deaths are conservative, as many traditional news sources have not reported many cases.

“NNU believes that many of these deaths would have been prevented if more effort had been made to plan and overcome the pitfalls of just-in-time supply chain management. Increasing capacities for the storage and rapid distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) should be among the highest priorities of the hospital and nursing home industries and federal and state agencies going forward, ”he said.

Apart from Filipinos, the report also said that 53 black registered nurses (16.9) percent, died of COVID-19. Black nurses make up 12.4 percent of registered nurses in the US.

As of Friday, there have been 29,317,562 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 532,971 deaths in the US, according to data from the World Health Organization, the country hardest hit by the virus.

– with a report by TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News