The mental health of health personnel in the face of Covid-19

Abstract

Some media warned that El Salvador, at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, had one of the highest case fatalities in the Central American region in its health personnel -some studies even suggested a rate close to 9%-, mainly, among the physicians belonging to middle-aged age groups2. The perspective on COVID-19, by health personnel, has been similar to that of society in general, fear of becoming infected or infecting family and friends. Knowledge of the pathology associated with infection by the virus and the means of protection evolved at a slower rate than the pandemic itself. In a survey administered in the United States, at the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, different causes of anxiety among medical personnel were found: “access to appropriate biosafety equipment; bring the infection to your family; not having quick access to confirmatory tests if they have symptoms; spreading the virus at work; uncertainty about whether institutional support would be available in case of presenting the disease (the exposed professional or his/her family); and lack of access to information
and reliable and up-to-date scientific communication»3.