As thousands of people across the country are testing positive for the coronavirus, many are shifting to remote work, while schools and day care centers are closing. For parents, this disruption can be a huge strain, forcing them to juggle child care and homeschooling with their jobs.

But perhaps nobody feels this pinch more than the crisis workers on the front lines of this pandemic.

Nurses, doctors, first responders, scientists and researchers are already stretched thin as demand increases to test and treat more patients and find a vaccine. This means working grueling shifts, all while being exposed to the very virus theyre trying to fight. Inevitably, some will get sick and need to quarantine themselves. All of this means that parents who are crisis workers need help with child care more than ever.

And its not just about doctors and nurses. Its also the custodial and food staff, people making medical supplies and hand soap, as well as those shipping and delivering these vital supplies, along with child care providers themselves. All of these people are part of the lifesaving process right now, said Eli Fenichel, associate professor of bioeconomics and ecosystem management at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

According to an analysis released last week by Fenichel and a researcher at Colorado State University, nearly one-third of health care provider households need to care for children between the ages of three to 12. And 15% of these households do not have another partner or older child who can help with child care, according to the research, which hasnt been peer-reviewed.

In a back of the envelope calculation based on the assumption that school closures could help stop the spread of the coronavirus by 15%, the researchers warn that if the number of health care workers on the job declines too dramatically because they need to stay home to care for their children, it could negate any benefit provided by school closures.