We Used to Clap for Nurses, Now We Let Them Burn Out
A shortage of hospital staff is making a bad omicron wave worse. Time for better pay, conditions and digital tools.
Nurses deserve more than our applause.
Photographer: Frederic J. Brown/AFP
If mask-wearing is an indicator of pandemic alertness, Europe is in a state of fatigue. YouGov surveys indicate face coverings have dropped across the continent as vaccinations and booster shots pick up. In Paris, where new rules require masks even in the street, noses and mouths are regularly on display as a small act of rebellion.
Behind the fading fear of Covid is the sense that omicron is not delta, and that 2022 is not 2020. Indeed, there are signs the latest virus surge is plateauing in some countries, and deaths have decoupled from cases thanks to jabs and treatments. The old continent wants to move on. French Health Minister Olivier Veran even reckons this could be Covid’s “last wave.”