Nurses and doctors treating COVID-19 patients are at the top of the list for getting one of the new vaccines, but another time bomb could explode in advance: disputes over the supply of personal protective equipment.

PPE is at the center of the current disputes between the Hawaii Nurses’ Association and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children; nearly 800 employees there now working without a contract. Elsewhere in the U.S., similar disputes have led to strikes. Talk about worst-case scenarios.