SOME 3,000 NURSES DEAD SINCE COVID PANDEMIC DECLARATION

Thu 11 March 2021:

Exodus looms as thousands of nurses die since WHO declared coronavirus a pandemic

At least 3,000 nurses have died from Covid-19, the global nurses’ federation has said as it warned of a looming exodus of health workers traumatised by the pandemic.

The World Health Organisation first described the virus as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Now, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said burn-out and stress had led millions of nurses to consider quitting the profession.

And once the pandemic is over, a dwindling number of experienced nurses could be left to handle the giant backlog of regular hospital care that had been postponed due to the crisis, the ICN warned.

The known death toll of nurses killed by the disease — compiled from just 60 countries — is likely to be a gross underestimate of the full total, the federation said.

The WHO wants to see healthcare workers in all countries being vaccinated within the first 100 days of 2021.

International Council of Nurses chief executive Howard Catton said that was the start line rather than the finish line, and voiced “grave concerns” at the unequal distribution of vaccines between rich and poor countries.

For nurses, facing an elevated risk of infection, immunisation “is about their right to being protected at work,” he said.

“Not being protected at work adds to their distress.”

Recalling the public appreciation shown towards nurses in the early stages of the pandemic, Catton said that now, “overwhelmingly, nurses would rather be getting their vaccine than a round of applause”.

The ICN strongly recommended that all nurses take a Covid-19 jab.

“It is an issue of protection and safety for patients,” Catton said.

“If somebody doesn’t have the vaccine then it may well be that you have to look at redeploying them to other areas.”