Amnesty Says Coronavirus Has Killed At Least 3,000 Health Workers
More than 3,000 healthcare workers are known to have died of the new coronavirus, according to Amnesty International, as it raises concerns about unsafe working conditions, low pay, long hours and violence against medical workers in some countries.
In a new report published on Monday, the United Kingdom-based rights group said Russia at 545 had the highest numbers of healthcare worker deaths from COVID-19.
Russia was followed closely by the UK (540, including 262 social care workers), and the United States (507).
But the global toll was much likely higher, Amnesty added, because of under-reporting.
"With the COVID-19 pandemic still accelerating around the world, we are urging governments to start taking health and essential workers' lives seriously," said Sanhita Ambast, Amnesty's researcher and adviser on economic, social and cultural rights, in a statement.
"It is especially disturbing to see that some governments are punishing workers who voice their concerns about working conditions that may threaten their lives."
Brazil, which has emerged as the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths after the US, has so far reported 351 healthcare worker deaths, while Mexico, another Latin American hotspot, has 248.
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