LAST UPDATE: 20 October 2021
CORONAVIRUS
UPDATE
68
THE LATEST ON THE COVID-19 GLOBAL SITUATION &
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS
Overview
• Current global situation 3
• How to protect health workers during COVID-19 4
• Resources 17
• COVID-19 protective measures 18
2
Current global situation
CASES REPORTED TO WHO AS OF 20 OCTOBER 2021
• Cases: > 241 million • Deaths: > 4.9 million
CHECK OUT THE LATEST
GLOBAL SITUATION
WHO
Coronavirus
Disease (COVID-19)
Dashboard
* Data are incomplete for the current week. Cases depicted by bars; deaths depicted by line
3
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on health and care Figure. women’s representation in global health
workers
• COVID-19 has had a significant impact on
the lives and physical and mental health of
health and care workers
• Women comprise 7 in 10 health and care
workers and have borne significant impacts
from the pandemic*
Source: Closing the leadership gap: gender equity and leadership in the global
health and care workforce (who.int)
*Closing the leadership gap: gender equity and leadership in the global health and care workforce (who.int)
4
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Many health workers have died during the pandemic
However, SARS-CoV-2 infections in health workers have reduced over time
• 115 500 health workers
globally, a conservative
estimate, are believed to have
died during the pandemic*
• Better access to personal
protective equipment (PPE)
and COVID-19 vaccination
have decreased SARS-CoV-2
infections in health workers
over the course of the
pandemic, yet their
occupational service continues
to put them at greater risk
Data as reported to WHO
*https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/345300/WHO-HWF-WorkingPaper-
2021.1-eng.pdf
5
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Occupational risks in
health workers during the
COVID-19 pandemic
• Apart from the risk of COVID-19 infection,
other risks in health workers need to be
considered
• These include risks around:
➢ Work time and workload
➢ Lack of recognition, including inadequate pay
and support resources
➢ Prolonged use of PPE and PPE fit
➢ Harassment, violence, stigma and
discrimination
➢ Mental health, including burnout
➢ Sanitation and hygiene
Photo: WHO
6
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Prevention of COVID-19
in health workers should
be based on a risk
assessment
• Purpose of a workplace risk assessment for
SARS-CoV-2:
➢ Determine the level of risk for occupational
exposure related to different roles, work
tasks and work settings
➢ Plan and implement adequate measures for
risk prevention and mitigation
➢ Assess individual health workers’ fitness for
work and return to work, including workers
with co-morbidities
Photo: WHO
7
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Levels of workplace Risk level Health worker tasks & roles Preventive measures for
workers
risk may vary based Low risk Jobs or tasks without frequent, close contact with
the public and that do not require contact with
➢ Use fabric masks in
common areas and face-
on health worker people known or suspected of being infected with
SARS-CoV-2.
to-face meetings
tasks and roles (For example: telehealth workers, remote
interviewing of suspected or confirmed COVID-19
patients or their contacts
Medium Jobs or tasks with close frequent contact with ➢ Wear medical masks and
• Health workers should observe hand risk patients, visitors, suppliers and co-workers but that other PPE and apply
and respiratory hygiene, use preventive do not require contact with people known or standard precautions in
suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 providing patient care
measures correctly and stay home if
unwell
High risk Jobs or tasks with high potential for close contact ➢ Use PPE (medical mask,
• Training on use and disposal of PPE with people who are known to be or suspected of
being infected with SARS-CoV-2 or contact with
gown, gloves, eye
protection) and apply
should be provided to all workers objects and surfaces possibly contaminated with standard precautions in
the virus providing patient care
• Sufficient quantities of appropriately
fitted PPE should be available for all Very high Jobs and tasks with risk of exposure to aerosols ➢ Use PPE (respirator N95 or
risk containing SARS-CoV-2, in settings where aerosol- FFP2 or FFP3, gown,
workers, based on task and role generating procedures are regularly performed on gloves, eye protection,
patients with COVID-19 or working with infected apron) and apply standard
people in indoor places without adequate precautions in providing
ventilation patient care
COVID-19: Occupational health and safety for health workers (who.int)
8
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Organizing work time and
workload for a healthy and
safe work environment
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, health
workers may be working long hours with
heavy workloads and insufficient time for
rest and recuperation
• This can result in chronic fatigue and lack of
energy, with decreased alertness,
coordination and efficiency; increased
reaction time; impaired cognition and
mood changes
• To prevent chronic fatigue in health
workers:
➢ Provide enough available staff, including by
additional recruitment
➢ Distribute workload, tasks and roles fairly
➢ Ensure longer working hours are only
temporary and that rest periods are available
WHO: Health workforce policy and management in the context of the COVID-19
pandemic response; ILO: Guidelines on decent work in public emergency services Photo: Science Photo Library Photo: WHO
9
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Recognition for the
work of health workers
• A lack of recognition, including inadequate
pay and overtime can impact health
workers, including resulting in departures
from service
• A study by the Royal College of Nursing
found that around a third of nurses in the
United Kingdom were considering leaving
the profession, two thirds citing low pay
and almost half citing their treatment
during the pandemic
Closing the leadership gap: gender equity and leadership in the global
health and care workforce (who.int) Photo: https://www.itagroup.com/insights/7-things-cause-nurse-turnover-8-things-to-stop-it
10
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Prevent prolonged use
of personal protective
equipment
• PPE is intended to be used for short periods
of time
• In the context of COVID-19, heavy workload
and patient flows may require health
workers to wear PPE for extended periods
of time
• If used for a long period of time, PPE can Photo: Science Photo Library
cause eczema, contact dermatitis, skin
Advice for health workers on safe use of PPE
lesions or heat stress
• Use non-latex or nitrile gloves in case of latex allergy
• Use properly fitted PPE
• Apply moisturizers or gel before wearing gloves and facial protective equipment
• Avoid using over-tight goggles, which can damage the skin and generate fogging
• Limit the time spent in full PPE
• Rest in a cool area
Medical Device-Related Pressure Injury in health care professionals in times of • Drink enough safe drinking-water
pandemic • Avoid using coveralls, double layering of gowns, shoe protection or hoods
11
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Prevent violence, harassment,
stigma and discrimination of
health and care workers
• Incidents of harassment, stigma and
discrimination have been reported during
the pandemic
• Policies for prevention of harassment,
stigma and discrimination should be put in
place, including:
➢ Regulations that criminalize violence and
harassment against health workers
➢ Policies for prevention of workplace violence in the
health sector
➢ Policies for reporting of incidents and for security
measures
➢ Communication around behavioural standards and
community-engagement projects to prevent
stigmatization of health workers
➢ Promoting respect for health workers
Photo: Jim Varney/Science Photo Library
12
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Mental health and
psychosocial support
for health workers
• Health workers’ mental health and well-being
can be affected in the context of COVID-19
• Levels of burnout and other mental health
conditions are high among health workers*
• Recommendations to protect mental health Photo: OpenAccess Government, © Martinmark
in the workplace:
➢ Ensure that accurate information updates are ➢ Provide mechanisms for early and confidential
provided to all health workers identification and management of anxiety,
➢ Rotate workers from higher-stress to lower- depression and other mental health conditions,
stress functions, if possible and initiate first-line interventions
➢ Partner inexperienced workers with ➢ Promote a mental health prevention culture
experienced colleagues among health workers and health managers
➢ Ensure access to confidential mental health and ➢ Ensure health workers who develop mental health
psychosocial support services for health workers conditions and seek help can return to their work
without stigma or discrimination
➢ Train health workers in basic psychosocial skills https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/Health-systems/health-
*https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00159-0/fulltext workforce/news/news/2021/4/frontline-stories-mental-health-of-health-care-workers-in-the-
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163834321000700?via%3Dihub covid-19-pandemic
13
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Ensure adequate
sanitation, hygiene and
rest facilities for health
workers
• Provide hand hygiene facilities
• Provide rest rooms, safe drinking-water, toilets and
supplies for personal and menstrual hygiene
• Provide space and appropriate work breaks for
personal and menstrual hygiene
• Ensure daily (or more) cleaning and cleaning protocols
• Provide facilities for changing clothes and professional
laundry for work clothes
• Train health workers in the safe use of disinfectants,
PPE use and disposal, and provide adequate PPE
• Do not spray individuals with disinfectants (such as in
a tunnel, cabinet or chamber) under any
circumstances Photo: WHO
14
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Protect health and care workers
The Steering Committee for the 2021 International Year of
Health and Care Workers issued a Joint Statement calling for
immediate and concrete action to protect health and care
workers to:
• Strengthen data collection and reporting on infections, ill-
health and deaths among health and care workers due to
COVID-19
• Protect health and care workers during and beyond the
current global COVID-19 pandemic
• Accelerate the vaccination of all health and care workers in
all countries
https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/2021-dha-docs/iyhcw_sc_joint_statement.pdf?sfvrsn=5fe331d2_5
15
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Data, evidence and knowledge on health workers
WHO’s work to support health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
• WHO published guidance on the standardized measurement and reporting of impact on health care
workers
• The Health Workforce has commissioned living systematic reviews on
➢ Health education disruptions and adaptations
➢ Health workforce policy and governance response
➢ Health impacts for health and care worker
➢ Health workforce vaccination
➢ Strikes, industrial action and protests
• WHO has piloted Workforce Intelligence from Open Sources (WIOS) with Nanyang Technological
University to use artificial intelligence for monitoring
• WHO has conducted almost 30 country case studies to examine national level human resources for
health adaptations to COVID-19
• Consistent work across WHO departments and with professional associations to triangulate data on
health worker infections and deaths
https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce#tab=tab_1
16
HOW TO PROTECT HEALTH WORKERS DURING COVID-19
Resources
COVID-19: Occupational health & safety for
health workers Health workers and administrators
This interim guide provides specific measures to Health workers face higher risks of infection and are
protect occupational health and safety of health exposed to hazards such as psychological distress, fatigue
workers and highlights the duties, rights and and stigma. Here, WHO provides the latest advice &
responsibilities for health and safety at work. guidance for health workers and administrators.
Prevention, identification and management of
health worker infection in the context of COVID-
19 (who.int) COVID-19 and health facilities: Checklist of
This document provides interim guidance on the measures to be taken in health facilities (ilo.org)
prevention, identification and management of health Checklist to prevent COVID-19 infection in health facilities
worker infection in the context of COVID-19 and protect health personnel.
Health workforce policy and management
An interim guidance on health workforce policy and
management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Occupational safety and health in public health
response.
emergencies: a manual for protecting health
workers and responders (who.int)
A manual for protecting health workers and responders
OpenWHO: Occupational health & safety for
health workers in the context of COVID-19
All health workers require knowledge and skills to protect
themselves and others from the occupational risks they
encounter, so that they can work safely and effectively. Caring for those who care
A short overview on the issues and recommendations
The impact of COVID-19 on health and care for policy decision-makers in ministries of health and
workers: a closer look at deaths (who.int) ministries of employment and labour.
The impact of COVID-19 on health and care workers in
terms of deaths.
17
COVID-19 protective measures
Protect yourself & others
Keep your distance Wash your hands
frequently Cough & sneeze into
your elbow
Ventilate or open
windows Wear a mask
18
www.who.int/epi-win
