More than 3,600 US health workers died in the first year of the pandemic, a yearlong investigation found, as there's no official list

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More than 3,600 US health workers died in the first year of the pandemic, a yearlong investigation found, as there's no official list
A nurse puts on PPE before treating a coronavirus patient.Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
  • 3,607 US healthcare workers died in the first year of the pandemic, a yearlong investigation found.
  • There is no official federal list of healthcare worker deaths, and Fauci said that should exist.
  • The investigation found lower-paid workers were more likely to die, and PPE shortages increased deaths.
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More than 3,600 US health workers died in the first year of the pandemic, a yearlong has found.

The Guardian and Kaiser Health News found that as of April 2021, 3,607 healthcare workers had died, and that many of the deaths could have been prevented with proper personal protective equipment.

The outlets found that nonwhite healthcare workers and lower-paid workers were also more likely to due during the pandemic.

There is no official US government list of healthcare worker deaths.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert, told The Guardian that he believes the federal government should, at some point, compile such a list: "We certainly want to find an accurate count of the people who die."

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He also said that healthcare worker deaths were increased by shortages of PPE.

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