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Image: Jeff Roberson
Image: Jeff Roberson
NURSES ARE THE healthcare workers worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to statistics compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
In the latest week for which figures are available (29 November – 5 December) a total of 303 of the 2,002 new cases of the virus in Ireland were confirmed in healthcare workers, representing 15% of the total cases.
A total of 61 nurses contracted the disease that week, meaning nurses made up 3% of all new Covid-19 cases in the State.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, healthcare workers have made up 16.5% of Ireland’s total confirmed cases. Nearly 3,700 nurses are confirmed as having contracted the virus.
The INMO has proposed a range of measures to combat the spread of the illness among healthcare workers including applying the same self-isolation period as for the general public.
The isolation period is currently seven days for healthcare workers and 14 for the general public.
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The union also called for the government to classify Covid-19 as an occupational illness, to give the Health and Safety Authority the power to investigate and inspect cases and outbreaks.
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