MANILA, Philippines – A recent report showed that over a third of the nurses who have died of coronavirus in the United States were Filipinos.
The National Nurses United (NNU), the largest nurses' union in the US, released their September report that revealed that 67 or 31.5% of the 213 registered nurses who have died in the US were Filipinos.
“Filipinos make up 4 percent of registered nurses in the United States. More than half of registered nurses of color who have died to date have been Filipino (54.0 percent),” NNU said.
Among the Filipino nurses who died due to COVID-19 were Arceli Buendia Ilagan, Celia Yap Banago, and Celia Marcos.
Zenei Cortez, co-president of National Nurses United, expressed her frustration over the data. She said the report "devastated" her not just as a leader of the union but as a Filipino-American citizen as well. She said she is aware of how hardworking the Filipino nurses are.
"I'm very concerned and I'm very heartbroken because these deaths are unnecessary," Cortez said.
NNU called out the US government to provide a comprehensive program to protect the health workers who put their lives on the line. The group also said the deaths would have been prevented if "greater effort had been made to plan for and overcome the pitfalls of just-in-time supply chain management."
“NNU continues to call on the federal government to greatly expand domestic production of personal protective equipment through the Defense Production Act of 1950 as well as to mandate that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration establish an emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases,” it added.
— Sally, The Summit Express
The National Nurses United (NNU), the largest nurses' union in the US, released their September report that revealed that 67 or 31.5% of the 213 registered nurses who have died in the US were Filipinos.
“Filipinos make up 4 percent of registered nurses in the United States. More than half of registered nurses of color who have died to date have been Filipino (54.0 percent),” NNU said.
Among the Filipino nurses who died due to COVID-19 were Arceli Buendia Ilagan, Celia Yap Banago, and Celia Marcos.
Zenei Cortez, co-president of National Nurses United, expressed her frustration over the data. She said the report "devastated" her not just as a leader of the union but as a Filipino-American citizen as well. She said she is aware of how hardworking the Filipino nurses are.
"I'm very concerned and I'm very heartbroken because these deaths are unnecessary," Cortez said.
NNU called out the US government to provide a comprehensive program to protect the health workers who put their lives on the line. The group also said the deaths would have been prevented if "greater effort had been made to plan for and overcome the pitfalls of just-in-time supply chain management."
“NNU continues to call on the federal government to greatly expand domestic production of personal protective equipment through the Defense Production Act of 1950 as well as to mandate that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration establish an emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases,” it added.
COVID-19 Sins of Omission Data Report
— Sally, The Summit Express
