WHO says the new coronavirus may have killed 180,000 health workers | Coronavirus pandemic news

As the pandemic continues to spread, UN agencies have stepped up calls on governments to take more measures to protect and support workers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80,000 to 180,000 health care workers worldwide have died due to COVID-19, warning that as the virus continues to spread around the world, there are dangers of burnout, anxiety and fatigue.

When WHO released data covering the period from January 2020 to May 2021 on Thursday, it stated: “These deaths are tragic losses.” The total number of known COVID-19 deaths during the same period was 3.45 million.

“They are also irreplaceable gaps in the world pandemic response.”

It is believed that there are approximately 135 million people working in the healthcare field worldwide.

Since the first COVID-19 case appeared in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, clinics and hospital staff have been on the front lines of the pandemic, and although many people feel tired and anxious, there are few signs that the disease has spread to its courses.

According to the WHO, many countries’ vaccination plans give priority to medical staff, but the uneven distribution of vaccines means that on average only two-fifths of the world’s people are vaccinated.

“We have a moral obligation to protect all health care workers, ensure their rights, and provide them with decent work in a safe and conducive practice environment. This must include access to vaccines,” said Jim Campbell said.

As of September 2021, available data from 119 countries/regions indicate that in Africa and the Western Pacific, less than one in ten health care workers are fully vaccinated, while 22 mainly high-income countries have reported that More than 80% of its staff have been fully vaccinated. Was vaccinated. It pointed out that some large high-income countries have not yet reported data to WHO.

“It is encouraging that the infection rate and death rate of health and nursing staff have been reported to decline over time: but the world cannot be complacent. More needs to be done to minimize the risk of infection in the workplace, “The WHO statement said.

The United Nations health agency stated that governments need to strengthen the monitoring and reporting of COVID-19 infections, ill health, and deaths of health care workers, and create a working environment that protects health care workers.