Red Cross Says More Than 200 Health Care Workers Have Been Attacked in Coronavirus-Linked Assaults | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This informational nugget was sent to me by Ben Shapiro, who represents the Daily Wire, and since this is one of the most topical news events, it should be published on BCN.

The author of this post is Ashe Schow.

    As health care workers around the world are trying to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, many of them are getting attacked.

    Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told the United Nations Security Council in a video call that since March, 208 attacks related to COVID-19 have been reported against healthcare workers and systems in 13 different countries around the world, Fox News reported.

    "The COVID-19 crisis is fast threatening to become a protection crisis," Maurer said on the call.

    In a statement, "a community of concerned advocates, representing 13 medical and humanitarian global organizations appearing for more than 30 million health care professionals," issued a statement through the ICRC condemning the attacks:

• Unfortunately, the sad reality is that health workers have for a long time been subject to many shocking forms of violence. The recent displays of public support for COVID-19 responders are heartwarming, but many responders are nevertheless experiencing harassment, stigmatization and physical violence. Some health-care professionals and the people they were caring for have even been killed. At least 208 reports of such incidents have emerged since the beginning of the pandemic, and each day brings new stories of intimidation and harm.
• Violence against health care must not be tolerated. We stand firmly against it, and are working as a global community to build a world where health workers and patients are safe and respected. We call on everyone reading this message to join with us and protect health care from violence. And not only individuals: we call on all governments to act against misinformation and to ensure that health care is protected by domestic law, that all health-care professionals have a safe working environment, and that mental health support is offered not only to victims of violence, but also to those working under increased levels of stress.

    Maurer, according to Fox News, said on the call that socioeconomic issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic will lead to increased abuse and exploitation of already vulnerable populations. The ICRC did not list the 13 countries where attacks have been recorded, but the ICRC did specifically condemn "recent attacks on health care facilities, staff, as well as patients, in Kabul and Darfur." Maurer explained the 13 countries were in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, the Americans, and Africa, according to The Seattle Times. He added that it's "likely the actual numbers are much higher than what we calculated."

    "Maurer said 23% of incidents included physical assaults, 20% were discriminatory-related attacks on health workers, and the rest included the deliberate failure to provide or deny assistance, verbal assaults and threats, and a disregard for health personnel protective measures," the Times reported.

    In a tweet, the ICRC listed doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospitals, ambulances, and clinics as being "protected under the rules of war.

    "Yet since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been over 200 attacks on health care in just 13 countries," the organization continued.