So far, only 38 percent of employees in nursing homes have accepted COVID-19 vaccines when offered, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.
Due to their vulnerability, nursing home residents and healthcare professionals are among the first people to receive the vaccine, and “these findings show that we have a lot of work to do to increase confidence and also really understand barriers to vaccination among the population. , “Dr. Radhika Gharpure, lead author of the CDC report, said USA today.
The report analyzed vaccination rates at more than 11,000 long-term care facilities in the United States between December 18 and January 17. Although vaccination numbers were low for employees, 78 percent of residents received at least one dose of the vaccine. Under a deal signed with CVS and Walgreens during the Trump administration, pharmacies are sending technicians three times to participating nursing homes to vaccinate as many people as possible.
Data from previous research showed that some health care workers said they were concerned about side effects, while others did not want to be among the first group to be vaccinated. Several facilities have worked to educate workers about the vaccine. At Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, nearly two-thirds of employees said last year that they did not want to receive the vaccine, but infectious disease specialist Dr. William Schaffner said USA today there was an impulse to share facts with employees, and it “touched the needle”. Now, 75 percent said they will receive the vaccine.
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Originally published