Research Article What Impact has SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers (HCWs) Mortality &amp; Infections across 36 states &amp; union territories of India? How to prevent mortality &amp; morbidity of HCWs?
Authors: Kumar Dr Piyush 
Published: May 2021

Abstract: Background: The ongoing coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2/covid-19/novel coronavirus is an acute infectious communicable disease spreading mainly via respiratory, eye, mouth and other possible routes from person to person as well as through contact with infected non living objects. The pandemic has massively increased healthcare systems burden due to high hospitals admission rate, infection rates, morbidity, and mortality. QALY (quality adjusted life years) &amp; DALY (disability adjusted life years) are also important for consideration of impact of this pandemic. The healthcare systems is under constant massive pressure to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus &amp; a huge part of this responsibility is being shouldered by frontline health care workers including doctors, nurses, paramedical workers, ASHAs and Anganwadi services etc. Hence HCWs are inevitably and routinely exposed to the virus hence naturally are at high risk of infection, possible mortality &amp; morbidities. Objectives: The key objective is to find out impact of SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers (HCWs) Mortality &amp; Infections across 36 states &amp; union territories of India. What are the reasons of mortality and morbidity &amp; How to prevent mortality &amp; morbidity of HCWs? Methodology/settings &amp; design (search strategy-Research Methods): Several databases were searched for deaths of HCWs in India between January 2019 and 18th May 2021, including MoHFW website, PUBMED, WHO COVID-19 database, COVID-19 Study Register, and Google scholar. The search terms used were: “healthcare providers /health care workers/nurses- death in India due to COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “Coronavirus,” using Google search. Whatever data obtained is tabulated. Results: There is increase in mortality of HCWs in India. The data is not available completely in my search. Beside increased death I have found a lot of controversy and questions raised on the issue of this data. There is lot of discrepancy in data given by Government and other sources. According to the Indian Medical Association, 244 doctors have lost their lives due to Covid in the second wave. Of them, 50 deaths were recorded on Sunday. The highest number of fatalities have been reported from Bihar (69) followed by Uttar Pradesh (34) and Delhi (27) .Conclusion: The government and other agencies should collect and provide the data publicly so that it can be analysed by different sections of researchers to give feedback which will help in making policies helpful to protect HCWs. A large number of medical staffs are infected due to the lack of adequate protection. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic is growing day by day with lack of essential facilities for treatment. Some experts have warned of a possible third wave of COVID-19. Keywords: Healthcare workers (HCWs), covid-19 infection, safety, pandemic, Mortality, Doctors, Nurses, Death, India