Argentina's ICU workers warn of fatigued personnel

The Argentine Society of Intensive Care (SATI) released a letter on Tuesday night, warning that specialists are being worked beyond their limit, as they tend to a growing number of COVID-19 patients.

The letter said doctors feel that they are "losing the battle" and while the number of respirators and beds can be multiplied, health workers cannot.

"Human resources are limited, and even though (new) units and wards continue to open and intensive care beds are set up, we will not be able to meet the demand if this keeps increasing," said Guillermo Chiappero, Vice President of The Argentine Society of Intensive Care.

The Argentine government reported on Wednesday 10,504 new infections for the previous day, still close to the record of 11,717 daily cases reported just last week.

Argentina has recorded more than 428,000 infections and nearly 9,000 deaths.

The Argentine Ministry of Health reported 2,314 people are currently admitted into intensive car units, using more than half of these specialized spaces available in the country.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Americas has the highest rate of health personnel affected by COVID-19 worldwide.

PAHO reported on Wednesday that about 570,000 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have fallen ill while 2,500 have died.

"Health workers are becoming infected with COVID-19 at an alarming rate. Globally they represent 10 percent of all COVID-19 cases," said Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization.

A PAHO epidemiological alert on August 31 indicated that a total of 16,194 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Argentina among health personnel.