‘Complete systematic failure’
Health care workers in certain communities faced more aggression as well. In a CMAJ Open study published in November 2021, Asian Canadian and Asian American health care workers experienced discrimination, racial microaggressions, threats of violence, and violent acts during the pandemic. Women and frontline workers with direct patient contact were more likely to face verbal and physical abuse.
“This highlights that we need to continue the fight against misogyny, racism, and health care worker discrimination,” lead study author Zhida Shang, a medical student at McGill University, Montreal, told this news organization.
“As we are managing to live with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to study our successes and shortcomings. I sincerely believe that during the pandemic, the treatment of various racialized communities, including Asian Americans and Asian Canadians, was a complete systematic failure,” he said. “It is crucial to continue to examine, reflect, and learn from these lessons so that there will be equitable outcomes during the next public health emergency.”
The study was conducted without funding support. Dr. Baranchuk, Dr. García-Zamora, and Ms. Shang report no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.