Global cases of COVID-19 now exceed 30 million
The global total has exceeded 30 million COVID-19 cases, wrote Lisa Schnirring in a report for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).
The global total climbed to 30,217,420 cases, and 946,847 people have died from their infections, with 197,682 deaths in the U.S., according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said a key to keeping patients safe is keeping healthcare workers safe. He said about 14 percent of COVID-19 cases reported to the WHO are among healthcare workers and that, in some countries, the proportion is as high as 35 percent.
He noted, though, that data are limited, and it's often not clear if health workers were exposed on the job or in their communities. And to mark this year's observance, he said the WHO launched a charter on healthcare worker safety that it invites countries, hospitals, clinics, and partners to endorse. The charter urges groups to take five actions, some of which include developing national programs for worker health and safety and protecting them from physical and biological hazards.
