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1 May 2020
On May 12, International Nurses Day, Australian and New Zealand nurses and midwives will honour their overseas colleagues who have lost their lives treating and caring for COVID-19 patients.
A candlelight vigil will be pre-recorded and shared at 6.30pm (ACST), May 12, via social media.
In the UK alone, more than 100 NHS staff and health care workers have succumbed to the virus, with hundreds more health care workers dying worldwide.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month said data suggests that healthcare workers account for about 11% of all COVID-19 infections. In Spain the figure was more than 13 per cent.
As of a week ago about 17,000 health care workers in Italy had been infected with the coronavirus, more than two-thirds of them women.
The International Council of Nurses set the theme for International Nurses Day 2020 as “nursing the world to health”, with a focus on the “true value of nurses to the people of the world”.May 12 is also the bicentenary birth date of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, who, relevantly to today’s pandemic, championed the need for good personal sanitation and hand hygiene.
How to take part
1. Film (about 20 seconds) or take a photograph of yourself with or without a candle. You do not need to speak or sing.
2. You may want to do this in a group (with social distancing) or on your own.
3. You may want to hold up a sign with a message to your colleagues and their friends and families across the globe.
Photo and filming tips
- Make sure you are in a well-lit room.
- Hold your phone horizontally/landscape (this is really important) and if filming handheld, try and keep your phone as steady as possible.
- Frame yourself so you’re looking directly at the camera straight ahead (not looking down at your phone).
- If you are filming – we’ll need about 20 seconds.
- Name your photo or video file if possible – with your name, your ward or hospital’s name.
How to submit your photo of film
- Click here to upload your photograph or video.
- Find your video on your device and follow the instructions.
- The name and email address you are required to provide will not be published.
To be part of the vigil please submit your photos or video by 8am, Tuesday, May 5.
Submit your photo or film