Call for healthcare professionals to be ‘top priority’ for COVID-19 vax
'No ifs or buts' - they have to be first to have the coronavirus vaccine, says global nurses' group
Nurses and other health workers must be top priority for the first COVID-19 vaccines, especially as they are often left without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), says the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
An estimated 1.5 million healthcare workers have been infected, three times the number in early June, it said, citing figures from WHO.
CEO of the Geneva, Switzerland-based council Howard Catton said the group was continuing to receive reports of nurses and healthcare workers not having enough PPE, nor access to testing, and working under incredible pressure.
“To be frank, many governments have just been too slow to prioritise nurses and healthcare workers,” Mr Catton said.
