Impact of the COVID 19 Pandemic on Health Care Workers in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research was to analyze official data on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latin American and Caribbean health care workers. Materials and Methods: The methodology used was documentary, exploratory and descriptive research. The data were collected from official reports of international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization and figures provided by the different official spokespersons of the Latin American countries studied, for the period March 2020 - August 2021. Results: The results showed that the top three countries with the highest number of infected and confirmed healthcare workers were Brazil with a total of 503,238 cases, Mexico with 244,711 cases and Argentina with 96,626 cases. The top three countries with the highest number of deaths of health personnel from this cause are Mexico with 4,084 cases, Peru with 1,399 cases and Brazil with 703 cases. Similarly, the countries with the highest fatality rates are Venezuela with 4.6%, Peru with 1.9% and Mexico with 1.7%. Conclusion: It can be concluded that this pandemic has directly affected health professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean, representing one of the greatest challenges ever faced by these professionals in the performance of their duties.