As part of the International Year of the Health and Care Workers (IYHCW) 2021 Campaign activities, the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) led an analysis of the impact that COVID-19 had on the global health and care workforce for the World Health Organization (WHO). An evidence synthesis was developed using the information and summary reports from each of the WHPA stakeholders related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and care workers (HCWs), in alignment with the standardized framework developed by WHO to measure the multi-dimensional impact of the pandemic on HCWs. The purpose of this report is to act as an advocacy document to global, regional and national leaders and decision-makers working in the health systems and health workforce domains, sensitizing them about the multi-dimensional impact of COVID-19 on HCWs, the need to think beyond just infections and deaths, and the importance of investing, protecting and safeguarding this workforce. Hence, addressing the impact of COVID-19 on HCWs should be comprehensive, ensuring not just the health and social well-being of the health and care workers, but also their availability and distribution and working conditions. Secondly, it also aims to draw the attention of human resources for health (HRH) planners, policy-makers, program managers, researchers and analysts to the standardized framework developed by WHO, and to motivate them to apply the framework to measure impact at national level.