By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON (AA) – As the death toll from coronavirus crosses the 80,000 mark in Europe, health workers are bearing the brunt of being on the frontline in the fight against the virus.
On one hand they are trying to save lives, on the other taking caution to not take the virus home to their families.
However, figures coming in show that COVID-19 is infecting them.
Italy, the worst-hit country in Europe, has lost 120 doctors and paramedic staff to the virus, according to the country's National Federation of Medical Orders.
More than 10,000 health workers have been infected -- 10% of the tally in the country.
In Spain, some 25,000 health workers have contracted the virus, according to the Health Ministry.
Moreover, 23 doctors have lost their lives, according to the Official Medical College of Madrid. The figure could be as high as 28 based on data compiled by Cadena Ser radio.
Five doctors have reportedly died in France.
- UK hit hard
U.K.’s National Health Service has said 27 doctors and nurses have died due to the virus. However, local media is reporting a tally of 50 fatalities among health workers.
British government has been under pressure to accelerate efforts in testing healthcare workers and providing necessary personal protective equipment for them as numbers are likely to soar.
Carl Heneghan of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University told BBC that he believes now a third of all coronavirus infections in the U.K. are with health workers.
At least 6,395 healthcare professionals have been infected by coronavirus in Germany. Of them, eight have died, according to the country’s disease control agency, Robert Koch Institute.
In Belgium, a 30-year-old nursery home worker is known to be the only coronavirus victim.
The government is carrying out tests in elderly homes and 4% of the country’s total infections are attributed to healthcare workers.
- Russia and Serbia
Russia has reported the death of a doctor, with 217 cases confirmed among doctors and health workers.
In Serbia, five health workers died of the virus, while 593 have tested positive for it, according to Darija Kisic-Tepavcevic, deputy director of the Public Health Institute of Serbia.
These figures comprise 10% of all coronavirus cases in Serbia.
Since appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
More than 2.16 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with over 146,000 deaths, and over 550,000 recoveries.