As we approach the March 11 anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, nurses across Canada are at their breaking point. We are exhausted, burned out — and deeply concerned.
Nurses are on the frontlines of the pandemic and our health care system every day. We see its problems in brutal detail and we have the experience to confront it. We have repeatedly called on decision-makers to address critical staffing shortages and provide basic protections to keep workers safe across Canada.
When nurses and other healthcare workers are disregarded, the results can be devastating.
As of January 15, 65,920 health workers had been infected with the COVID-19 virus, representing 9.5 percent of all infections in Canada. More than 40 health workers are known to have died from the illness.
In our troubled long-term care system, insufficient staffing and safety protocols have contributed to a national tragedy. About 25,000 health care worker infections are in long-term care. More than 14,000 vulnerable residents have died from COVID-19, representing about 70 percent of all deaths in Canada.
It didn’t have to be this way.
As early as January of last year, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions began urging governments across Canada to heed the lessons of SARS and adopt a precautionary approach. This meant assuming the virus was airborne, and protecting health workers — potential vectors of transmission — accordingly.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Registered Nurses’ Union (RNU) was a driving force behind advocacy efforts to keep health care workers safe. RNU pushed for the precautionary principle to be followed and led efforts to secure ajoint statement on personal protective equipment with unions, the provincial government, and regional health authorities. They argued for the highest levels of protection and pushed to ensure nurses have access to N95 respirators.
Despite our best efforts, health care workers in many provinces have been put at unacceptable risk, with implications for their families, patients and communities.
In many jurisdictions, health workers, even those caring for COVID-19 patients, were only provided flimsy surgical masks and masks were reused until they were soiled and damaged. Faced with supply issues, N95 respirators were often locked away.
It took the Public Health Agency of Canada until January 2021 to acknowledge what unions and many experts have said all along. Health care workers are at risk of airborne transmission when in close proximity to an infected person.
As new variants circulate in Canada, dramatically increasing the rate of transmission, burned out health care workers are under even more pressure. Without action, health staffing, which is already in short supply, could become depleted even further.
We must not let this happen. We know from experts and evidence that there is a desperate need for more staff, not less. The long-standing cycle of budget cuts, short staffing, and higher workloads has eroded the health care workforce and quality of patient care. A major investment in the retention and recruitment of nurses is needed now or it is likely we will see an exodus from the profession as burnout takes its toll.
Governments across Canada must act now and show their respect and appreciation for healthcare workers by improving and enhancing job safety and safe staffing.
Acting on the recommendations of nurses and other frontline workers can lead to better outcomes for patients and workers alike where safety is paramount, and care is not compromised.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
