The coronavirus death toll among Italian doctors reached 100 on Thursday, April 9, after four more doctors succumbed to the novel coronavirus infection.
According to Italian media reports, about 30 nurses and nursing staff have also died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The European nation's doctors' federation, FNOMCEO, informed about the deaths on Thursday.
Coronavirus fatalities among Italian medical workers
"The number of doctors who have died because of COVID-19 is 100 - perhaps even 101 at the moment, unfortunately," an FNOMCEO spokesman said, Daily Mail reported. Doctors who've lost their lives include retired doctors who voluntarily joined the service for the nation's fight against novel coronavirus.
According to reports, the majority of the doctors who died, worked in and around Lombardy -- Italy's worst-hit region. Fatalities among doctors have also been reported in the country's south, in Le Marche, Campania, Sicily and Puglia. Rome's Istituto Superiore di Sanita (Institute of Public Health) has estimated that about 10 percent of Italy's COVID-19 patients are health-care workers.
"We can longer allow our doctors, our health workers, to be sent to fight without any protection against the virus," FNOMCEO's president Filippo Anelli said on its website. "It is an unfair fight," he added. Doctors, nurses and other medical staff have been at the centre of the battle against coronavirus. Surmounting cases, fatalities and long working hours, coupled with an often lack of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs), expose them to both coronavirus and mental health issues.
At least 2 nurses killed themselves
At least two nurses have killed themselves. As a result, psychologists have mobilized therapists and online platforms to provide free consultation for medical personnel. The novel coronavirus first emerged in China's Wuhan, from where it travelled to the rest of China and the world.
After China, the disease's epicentre shifted to Italy -- which has reported the highest number of coronavirus fatalities, despite having one of the leading health infrastructures in the world. Since January 31, when Italy reported its first case of COVID-19, the country has reported 143,626 cases, along with 18,279 fatalities.
