The coronavirus has claimed the lives of at least 26 employees from the city’s public hospital system, The Post has learned.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any member of the NYC Health + Hospitals community,” Chris Miller, a spokesman for the agency, said Friday.
“We remain grateful for our health care workers who are bravely serving on the front lines. They are true heroes. As we continue to respond to the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis, the safety of our staff and patients remain our first priority,” Miller said.
A City Hall spokeswoman confirmed the 26 deaths to The Post, but could not provide a breakdown of fatalities by occupation, facility, or the number of deaths at private hospitals.
About 40,000 people work for NYC Health + Hospitals, which runs 11 public hospitals across the five boroughs.
Many of the public facilities like Jacobi Hospital in The Bronx and Elmhurst Hospital in Queens saw the largest number of COVID-19 patients. Staff at those facilities have also complained that they did not receive enough personal protective equipment during the peak of the pandemic.
More than 900 staffers at Health + Hospitals have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,000 have called in sick, according to data released for the first time this week.
Other agencies have had higher death tolls. The MTA has lost over 50 employees to the virus and 27 NYPD officials have died of COVID-19.