The United States is cutting back on its health care workforce, with many doctors who have taken a leave of absence due to COVID-19 set to be replaced by non-medical workers, the White House announced on Tuesday.

The new healthcare policy, announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and U.S. Health and Education Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, comes as the United States grapples with a sharp decline in its COVID deaths, the highest number in its history.

The policy, unveiled at the end of a visit to the US, aims to keep doctors working and provide them with the support they need to provide effective care and save lives, Burwell said.

The plan is part of a broader effort to reduce COVID death rates, which has taken a severe toll on the healthcare system, with the death rate for people aged 65 and older dropping from 11.9 deaths per 100,000 to 6.1 deaths per 10,000 in 2017.

The U.N. health agency warned earlier this year that the United Nations could be in for a “surge” in COVID related deaths in the next year, citing an increase in infections.

“With COVID, the risk of dying from an infection is higher, but the health-care system is not designed to protect against that,” Burwell told reporters.

She said the U.H.

S has seen an “unprecedented” increase in COFFEE deaths, which are hospitalizations for people who don�t have the illness.

In 2017, more than 100,00 people died from COFFee, and the U