Health workers

Healthcare workers must be prioritised for vaccines, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, and he criticised unfairness in the distribution of jabs.

The deaths occurred between January 2020 and May of this year.

Earlier, another senior WHO official warned a lack of jabs could see the pandemic continue well into next year.

There are an estimated 135 million healthcare workers globally.

"Data from 119 countries suggest that on average, two in five healthcare workers globally are fully vaccinated," Dr Tedros said.

The pair last year stole an estimated $US4,000 worth of the pain-killer in six separate incidents.

TV1 Samoa reports the men pleaded guilty and were sentenced to two and a half years in jail.

Paracetamol can be broken down to produce methamphetamine.

A third man accused of the same crime had entered a not guilty plea and will have his hearing at a later date.

The inquiry is reviewing a proposed restructure of the country's health system, which is opposed by many doctors and nurses.

But a member of the inquiry, Faamausili Dr Matagialofi, berated the professionals for not working to overcome their differences, saying the merger could have happened if they hadn't put themselves first.

The comments followed a submission from the medical association which highlighted issues with several people in the National Health Service and the health system in general.

Two of the workers say that in letters with their Friday wages, they were told a shortage of funds was the reason they were being let go, not their job performance.

The workers have been told the Department hopes to rehire them in the new fiscal year.