Determining the burden of occupational diseases attributed to COVID-19 in healthcare workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused on the challenges and risks facing healthcare workers. Many of these workers have been infected with the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and have died during this worldwide pandemic. Disability-adjusted life years (DALY), which was the sum of years of life with a disability (YLD) and years lost due to premature death (YLL) was calculated. Next, using the human development index (HDI), the amount of compensation was estimated in terms of DALY. The results showed that the number of deaths in healthcare workers (HCWs) was more than twice that of other people in society. The significant weight of DALY in the disease of COVID-19 is the years lost due to premature death (more than 99% total). The DALY was calculated as 6822.70 years, and compensation, based on the HDI index, was estimated at 162,257,452 (PPP $2011). Workers have suffered more damage from COVID-19 due to the nature of their work. Lack of staff and personal protective equipment, close contact with patients and colleagues, direct exposure to respiratory aerosols, the need for proper procedures and instructions, and the emerging nature of the disease are among the critical factors that cause employees to increase their risk of disease and infection. Considering that human resources are the most critical assets of any society, it is necessary to conduct more studies about such crises to lead to suitable contingency plans and effective preventive control solutions.