COVID-19 Pandemic and health professionals: Keep them alive or survive?

Abstract

World Health Organization’s (WHO) Country Office in the People’s Republic of China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China on 31 December 2019. WHO reported that Chinese authorities have determined that the outbreak is caused by a novel coronavirus on 7 January 2020. The name 2019-nCoV disease was then changed to COVID-19 and it was named as SARS-CoV-2 due to the similarities to SARS CoV. On 30 January 2020 WHO classified the COVID-19 pandemic as “international public health emergency state”. Deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction, WHO made the assessment on 11 March 2020 that COVID-19 could be characterized as a pandemic. Primary care is the first point of contact for patients with symptoms, worries, anxiety and questions concerning the epidemic. This COVID-19 outbreak is a challenge for each of the GP’s core competencies, as they are described in the European definition of General Practice, revised in 2005 and 2011 WONCA, 2011. The current number of confirmed COVID-19 cases (on 12 September 2020) is 28.698.681 worldwide and the number of deaths is 920.530 worldwide. The first COVID-19 case was identified on 11 March 2020 in Turkey. On 12 September 2020 there are 288.126 confirmed cases and 6.951 deaths in Turkey. The loss of lives of health professionals due to COVID-19 infection is a very serious problem in the world and it is estimated that more than 3000 health professionals had died in 79 countries due to COVID-19 pandemic. In Turkey it is 85 by 12 September 2020 and 41 out of 85 (48.2%) are physicians. This review gives a general view to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizes the deaths of health professionals and mentions the relevant suggestions of international organizations.