Media Reports as a Tool for Timely Monitoring of COVID-19–Related Deaths Among First Responders—United States, April 2020

Abstract

We aimed to describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths among first responders early in the COVID-19 pandemic. We used media reports to gather timely information about COVID-19–related deaths among first responders during March 30–April 30, 2020, and evaluated the sensitivity of media scanning compared with traditional surveillance. We abstracted information about demographic characteristics, occupation, underlying conditions, and exposure source. Twelve of 19 US public health jurisdictions with data on reported deaths provided verification, and 7 jurisdictions reported whether additional deaths had occurred; we calculated the sensitivity of media scanning among these 7 jurisdictions. We identified 97 COVID-19–related first-responder deaths during the study period through media and jurisdiction reports. Participating jurisdictions reported 5 deaths not reported by the media. Sixty-six decedents worked in law enforcement, and 31 decedents worked in fire/emergency medical services. Media reports rarely noted underlying conditions. The media scan sensitivity was 88% (95% CI, 73%-96%) in the subset of 7 jurisdictions. Media reports demonstrated high sensitivity in documenting COVID-19–related deaths among first responders; however, information on risk factors was scarce. Routine collection of data on industry and occupation could improve understanding of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among all workers.

Workplace violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: March–October, 2020, United States

“…This study demonstrated that media scraping may be useful for identifying occupational safety and health outcomes outside of fatality counts ( Kelly-Reif et al, 2021 , Tomasi et al, 2021 ). Using a combination of multiple search engines, case identification was maximized and represented a strength of the study.…”

“…Nearly a quarter of the WVEs involved a customer voluntarily coughing or spitting on a worker while threatening infection from SARS-CoV-2. Media reports have previously been used to surveil for COVID-19 fatalities among various occupations, but the current study suggests these methods may also be useful for other occupational safety and health outcomes, such as workplace violence ( Kelly-Reif et al, 2021 , Tomasi et al, 2021 ). In addition, the Kelly-Reif et al study found the sensitivity of media scans to detect first responder COVID-19 fatalities was high at 88% ( Kelly-Reif et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Media reports can be used to augment traditional surveillance methods to provide more timely information ( Chretien et al, 2009 , Brownstein et al, 2009 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital disease detection methods have been used to increase our knowledge of COVID-19’s impact on several industries and occupations ( Kelly-Reif et al, 2021 , Tomasi et al, 2021 ). The current study used similar methods to collect timely data from diverse web-based sources on COVID-19-related WVEs occurring in the early phases of the pandemic in the United States.…”

Proportionate mortality and national rate of death from COVID-19 among US law enforcement officers: 2020

“…Future research might consider examining the course of exposure and death among officers that have been affected by this virus. Routine collection of data on occupation would help to improve understanding of COVID-19 deaths in first responders (Kelly-Rief et al. , 2021).…”