4,500 health workers died battling COVID-19 in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- As many as 4,500 health workers died in Brazil after contracting COVID-19 while working to save lives during the pandemic, a global federation representing public service workers said Thursday.

Among the victims were 1,184 nurses, and eight out of 10 were women, according to Public Services International (PSI), which is associated with the International Labor Organization.

The deaths were registered between March 2020 and December 2021, according to a PSI report which, based on official data, was compiled to analyze public policy amid an event of such magnitude in Brazil and other countries.

With 687,026 COVID-19 deaths so far, Brazil has the world's second-highest death toll, after the United States, and the third-largest COVID-19 breakout, after the United States and India, according to figures released by the Brazilian Health Ministry.

The PSI gathers more than 700 trade unions representing 30 million workers in 154 countries, according to its website.