Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2026

Doctors And Nurses Fighting The Coronavirus Outbreak Are Getting Sick And Dying - And No One Is Keeping Track

Doctors And Nurses Fighting The Coronavirus Outbreak Are Getting Sick And Dying - And No One Is Keeping Track

“We are starting to see our health care providers die very quickly from this virus,” one nurse practitioner said.

Health care workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak across the country are getting sick and dying, nurses and doctors say. And despite the fact that they’re essential to fighting the epidemic, no one in the US seems to be keeping track.

Judy Wilson-Griffin, a nurse at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, died last week after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the St. Louis American. In Georgia, two health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 died: a 48-year-old woman who worked at Donalsonville Hospital and a 42-year-old mammogram technician at Piedmont Newnan Hospital, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. And Kious Kelly, a 48-year-old assistant nursing manager at Mount Sinai West medical center in Manhattan, died Tuesday after he previously tested positive for COVID-19, according to the New York Post.

Doctors, nurses, and others in health care have sounded the alarm for weeks that a lack of access to testing and personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks and gloves, has left them at a high risk of getting exposed as they fight the virus that’s already killed more than 1,000 people in the country.

Now, they say, their fears are being realized.

“There is not one among us who is not frightened stepping through these hospital doors each day to simply continue doing our job,” Dawn Aldinger, a 59-year-old longtime nurse in Seattle, told BuzzFeed News. “I, for one, have updated my will as I am doubtful I will survive this healthcare crisis.”

And if health care workers get sick, there are cascading impacts that will affect everybody else. Doctors and nurses who keep working while infected can expose more people. If these workers go home to recover, then there are fewer of them to tend to the growing number of infections popping up across the country. If they are so critically ill that they need to seek help, there will be less resources available to treat the general public.

Despite the urgency of protecting health care workers, few states are prioritizing keeping track of whether they are testing positive or dying. Out of the 10 states currently leading the country for infections and deaths contacted by BuzzFeed News, California is the only one publicly reporting on infected health care workers.

At least 35 California health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak have already tested positive for COVID-19, state officials reported on Wednesday. Due to a lack of available testing, this is likely an undercount.

A Washington state official told BuzzFeed News they are asking everyone confirmed with COVID-19 about their profession, but due to incomplete information, they are not disclosing numbers at this time.

Officials in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, home to the country’s biggest epidemic, said the information is not publicly available. New York officials last week told health care workers not to get tested if they weren’t exhibiting symptoms, even if they were likely exposed, due to shortages in protective and testing equipment.

Meanwhile, Georgia and Michigan officials said they were not tracking health care cases. Florida, Massachusetts, and Louisiana did not respond to an inquiry from BuzzFeed News.

The CDC did not immediately respond to questions about whether the agency is tracking infections in health care workers nationwide.

In Italy, the coronavirus outbreak has overwhelmed the country’s health care system, leading to soaring fatalities and a high number of health care worker infections that has put further strain on the country’s ability to respond. Of the nearly 68,000 known infections in the country, about 9% of them, or 6,205 cases, have been health care workers, according to a March 25 update.

Health care workers in the US have told BuzzFeed News they are deeply concerned about following in Italy’s footsteps.

According to one doctor in Providence, Rhode Island, who declined to be named, the surge in suspected COVID-19 patients is starting to take a toll. “Things are starting to ramp up here,” he told BuzzFeed News in an email. ”I suspect we're about 5 days behind New York. Sadly, we have several residents, fellows, attendings and multiple nurses and other staff who have gotten sick.”

Another nurse practitioner in Washington, DC, said that a death was recently reported in a nursing message group she's in. “We are starting to see our health care providers die very quickly from this virus,” she told BuzzFeed News.

“I am deeply concerned that as the lack of PPE situation worsens, we are going to lose a large portion of our medical providers," she said. "We will then be faced with a pandemic where we don't have enough people to treat the sick, as the pinch point of care is no longer equipment like ventilators, but providers.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
GCC Secretary-General Holds Talks with EU Ambassador in Riyadh
Gulf States’ AI Investment Drive Seen as Strategic Bet on Technology and U.S. Security Ties
African Union Commission Chair Meets Saudi Vice Foreign Minister to Deepen Strategic Cooperation
President El-Sisi Holds Strategic Talks with Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh
Lucid Unveils Up to $12,000 Incentive for Air and Gravity Models in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Enters Global AI Partnership, Expanding Its Role in International Technology Governance
Saudi Arabia’s Landmark U.S. LNG Agreement Signals Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Global Gaming Push with Billion-Dollar Deals and Expanded PIF Mandate
Saudi Arabia Reports $25.28 Billion Budget Deficit in Fourth Quarter of 2025
Alvarez & Marsal Tax Establishes Dedicated Pillar Two and Transfer Pricing Team in Saudi Arabia
United States Approves Over Fifteen Billion Dollars in Major Arms Sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia
Pre-Iftar Walks Gain Momentum as Ramadan Wellness Trend Spreads
Middle East Jackup Rig Fleet Contracts Further After Saudi Drilling Suspensions
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Prepare to Sign Five Gigawatt Renewable Energy Deal at COP31
King Mohammed VI Congratulates Saudi Leadership on Founding Day, Reaffirming Strategic Ties
US Envoy Huckabee Clarifies Remarks on Israel After Expansionism Controversy
Saudi Arabia Introduces Limited Exceptions to Regional Headquarters Requirement for Foreign Firms
Saudi Arabia Joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, Elevating Its Role in Shaping AI Governance
Saudi Arabia and Arab States Mobilise Diplomatically After U.S. Envoy’s Israel Remarks
Cristiano Ronaldo Reaffirms His Commitment to Saudi Arabia Amid Transfer Speculation
Proposed US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Raises Questions Over Uranium Enrichment Provisions
Saudi Arabia Sends 81st Aid Flight to Gaza as Humanitarian Air Bridge Continues
Global Games Show Riyadh 2026 Positioned as Catalyst for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030
Saudi Arabia Eases Procurement Rules, Allowing Foreign Firms Greater Access to Government Contracts
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Seal Two Billion Dollar Solar Energy Agreement
Saudi Crown Prince Reportedly Sends Letter to UAE Leader Over Yemen and Sudan Policies
Saudi Arabia Voices Concerns to UAE Over Sudan Conflict and Yemen Strategy
Saudi Arabia Joins Global Artificial Intelligence Alliance to Strengthen International Collaboration
Shura Island Positioned as Flagship of Saudi Arabia’s Ambitious Red Sea Tourism Drive
Saudi Arabia Rebukes Mike Huckabee Over Remarks in Tucker Carlson Interview
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praises the rapid progress of Chinese tech companies.
Concerns Mount Over Potential Saudi Uranium Enrichment in Prospective US Nuclear Accord
Trump Directs Government to Release UFO and Alien Information
Trump Signs Global 10% Tariffs on Imports
Investability Emerges as the Defining Test of Saudi Arabia’s Next Market Phase
Saudi Arabia’s Packaging Market Accelerates as Sustainability and E-Commerce Drive Transformation
Saudi Arabia Unveils $32 Billion Push Into Theme Parks and Global Entertainment
Saudi Crude Exports to India Climb Sharply, Closing Gap With Russia
Saudi Arabia’s Halal Cosmetics Market Expands as Faith and Ethical Beauty Drive Growth
ImmunityBio Secures Saudi Partnerships to Launch Flagship Cancer Therapy
United Kingdom Denies U.S. Access to Military Base for Potential Iran Strike
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Launch Expanded Renewable Energy Partnership
US Supreme Court Voids Trump’s Emergency Tariff Plan, Reshaping Trade Power and Fiscal Risk
Mongolian Mining Family’s HK$247 Million Stanley Home Purchase Highlights Resilient Luxury Market
UK Intensifies Efforts to Secure Saudi Investment in Next-Generation Fighter Jet Programme
Saudi Arabia Tops Middle East Green Building Rankings with Record Growth in 2025
Qatar and Saudi Arabia Each Commit One Billion Dollars to President Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Initiative
Ramadan 2026 Prayer Times Set as Fasting Begins in Saudi Arabia and Egypt Announces Dates
Saudi Arabia Launches Ramadan 2026 Hotel Campaign to Boost Religious and Leisure Tourism
Saudi Arabia Seeks Reroute of Greece-Bound Fibre-Optic Cable Through Syria Instead of Israel
×