Covid-19 Resources

Masked nurse outside White House hold signs "Protect Nurses, Patients, Public Health"

National Nurses United Covid-19 timeline

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, NNU has led the way in advocating for and winning protections for nurses and other health care workers across the country. Learn more by following our full Covid-19 advocacy timeline.

Covid strain

About the virus

Learn more about SARS-CoV-2 including its symptoms and how it is transmitted.

Nurse holds sign "Protect Nurses, Patients, Public Health"

All Covid-19 resources

See our full list of resources for nurses and other health care workers, including information on PPE and other protections, public and community health, and more.

Latest resources

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What Nurses Need to Know »» Preventing the Long Covid Health Crisis

A large proportion of people who get Covid-19 experience long-term symptoms and health impacts, known as “long Covid.” Hospitals and other health care employers have a duty to ensure a safe environment for staff and patients. Read our flyer to learn about what measures are necessary to prevent spread of Covid-19 within health care facilities and to protect staff and patients from long Covid.

Nurses hold signs "Save Lives: Protect Nurses"

Ten Things That Nurses Need To Know About Long Covid

Following initial Covid-19 infection, a significant proportion of people continue to experience new, recurring, or ongoing symptoms and health problems that persist from several weeks or months to years. It is a multifaceted syndrome that can affect nearly every organ system and can disrupt people’s ability to work or participate in their daily lives. Learn more by reading our flyer.

N95 respirators >> NIOSH approvals and background info

Learn more about health care vs industrial N95s (updated April 2023)

Q&A » Bivalent Covid Boosters

Bivalent Covid vaccines, or bivalent boosters, contain two different components for the immune system to respond to. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s mRNA bivalent Covid-19 vaccines contain the mRNA for the spike protein for two different strains of the virus.

Post-Exposure Isolation Period for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Variant

This scientific brief outlines the incubation period and what nurses and other health care workers should do when exposed to Covid-19.

All Covid-19 resources
Nurses at press conference

NNU’s standards for hospital safety during the Covid-19 pandemic

Learn more about what protective measures hospitals and other health care facilities should implement.

Nurse outside holds sign "Protect Nures, Patients, Public Health"

Statements and letters to officials

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, National Nurses United has called for the proper steps to protect nurses and public health.

Nurses inside hospital hold signs "Staff Up for Safe Care"

Surveys

NNU's national surveys have highlighted the issues nurses have faced during the pandemic—including unsafe staffing, workplace violence, and moral distress.

Tell-us-your-story forms

Health care workers have been deeply impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a nurse-driven organization, we want to hear from you!

Nurses signs and stickers

Download your own materials to print, share on the web, or use on social media.

Bibliography

View the full National Nurses United Covid-19 bibliography.

Press releases

NNU logo and header

NNU calls out CDC/HICPAC for planning to vote on infection control guidance before public review and comment

National Nurses United calls out the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for planning to vote today to approve the draft Isolation Precautions Guideline without getting input from frontline health care workers, patients, industrial hygienists, research scientists, ventilation engineers, or experts in occupational health and respiratory protection.
Nurse holds sign "Science Matters, We Are Not Expendable"

NNU delivers petition urging CDC to strengthen proposed infection control guidance; CDC cuts off public comments at advisory committee meeting

NNU delivered a petition signed by nearly 11,000 individuals and organizations to the CDC and its Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, urging them to fully recognize aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens and to strengthen the CDC’s Isolation Precautions guidance.
Group of nurses outside of The Whitehouse hold signs calling for permanent protection Covid measures

National Nurses United applauds OSHA for sending Covid-19 permanent standard for health care workers to OMB for review, urges OMB to take prompt action

A permanent standard would require employers to protect nurses and other health care workers from occupational exposure to Covid-19.
Nurses outside hospital hold signs "Protect Nurses, Patients, Public Health"

National Nurses United urges CDC to strengthen protections for nurses and other health care workers

NNU sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stating that recent infection control guidance updates will result in decreased protection for nurses, other health care workers, and patients.
All Covid-19 press releases

Articles

Large group of nurses celebration affiliation of NYSNA with NNU

Not without a fight

The hospital industry never learns because it doesn’t want to learn. And hospitals don’t want to learn because it’s more profitable for them to operate under their business-as-usual model, public health be damned. It’s up to us to organize ourselves to win what we need to care for our patients.
January 6, 2023
Three nurses hold signs calling on OSHA to enact permanent protections against Covid-19

OSHA permanent standard on Covid moves forward another step

NNU applauded Occupational Safety and Health Administration for sending its Covid-19 permanent standard to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget for review and urged OIRA to complete its review promptly so the standard can be issued without delay.
January 4, 2023
Two nurses inside hospital hold signs calling for permanent ETS and safe staffing

Nurses continue fight for OSHA permanent standard on Covid

Since the beginning of the pandemic, National Nurses United has been fiercely advocating for mandatory protections to protect nurses and other health care workers and, as we marked two years into Covid this spring, we relentlessly continue our fight.
April 25, 2022