Abstract
BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline workers were widely recognized for their efforts, with an emphasis largely placed on clinical personnel providing individual care. However, public health workers, who played a critical role in managing the pandemic from a population wide perspective, received far less attention. This paper explores the experiences of public health frontline (PHF) workers in Colombia during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting their role in virus identification, surveillance, and guiding public health responses. METHODS: Using a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews (n = 83), we examine the challenges faced by the PHF, their strategies for adapting to the crisis, and the impact of the work overload they encountered. RESULTS: The structural conditions that influenced public health responses in Colombia, shedding light on the necessity of a robust public health workforce for emergency preparedness. All the work realized to respond from a collective health perspective was performed by a PHF who felt that they were invisible. This invisibility had to do with the precarious working conditions that predated the pandemic, but also with a sense of being undervalued or not publicly recognized and thanked for-as opposed to clinical healthcare workers-, since public health was not necessarily considered part of the "COVID frontline." CONCLUSION: The lack of a clear definition of the public health frontline during the pandemic rendered essential workers in this sector invisible, leading to less recognition compared to clinical healthcare staff and affecting their well-being, safety, and motivation.