Front-line infections

AT LEAST 90 000 health-care workers worldwide are believed to have been infected with Covid-19, and possibly twice that, amid reports of continuing shortages of protective equipment, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said yesterday.

The coronavirus has killed more than 260 nurses, it said, urging authorities to keep more accurate records.

The 90 000 estimate is based on information collected on 30 countries from nursing associations, government figures and media reports. The ICN represents 130 associations and more than 20 million registered nurses.

The World Health Organization said that its 194-member states are not providing comprehensive figures on health-worker infections as they grapple with the unprecedented crisis.