Over 400 violent acts against Covid-19 health workers in 2020: Report

This article is more than 12 months old

Mar 03, 2021 06:00 am

WASHINGTON: Health workers battling Covid-19 were subjected to more than 400 acts of violence worldwide last year, according to a report published yesterday by a health non-governmental organisation (NGO).

The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition said 1,172 violent acts and attacks occurred against health workers or facilities last year, "a minimum estimate", according to the NGO.

More than a third (412) of the acts are directly related to Covid-19, it said, citing several examples including in Mexico, where a nurse was attacked and injured by a group accusing her of spreading the virus.

The majority, or 80 per cent, of the perpetrators of the violence were civilians, but threats also came from public authorities. In Egypt, health workers who criticised the regime's handling of the pandemic were arrested by security forces. - AFP