GENEVA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua)-World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday paid tribute to nurses working on the frontline to stop the COVID-19 outbreak, saying that this year more than ever the world must show solidarity with them.

Retweeting a Xinhua video posted earlier on Monday, the WHO chief said that health workers, including nurses, are bearing the biggest burden in the COVID-19 outbreak.

The video, produced and posted by Xinhua on twitter, told a story on how six nurses at an isolation points in China's Anhui Province care for two children whose parents were infected with novel coronavirus.

"This touching video shows the efforts and love nurses are investing in their jobs and patients to save lives. This year more than ever we must show our solidarity and support nurses and midwives," Tedros said.

The World Health Assembly has designated the year 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

A latest report by the WHO said that nurses and midwives play a vital role in providing health services, and the world needs 9 million more nurses and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.

Earlier this month when reporting to the 146th Meeting of the Executive Board of WHO, Tedros said that health workers are vital to achieving universal health coverage, especially nurses and midwives.

"The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife gives us a wonderful opportunity to highlight the incredible role nurses and midwives play, and to draw attention to the shortfall of 9 million nurses and midwives the world is facing between now and 2030," he said.

"We're calling on all countries to invest in nurses and midwives as part of their commitment to universal health coverage," he added.   ■