Many health professionals are still refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, presenting problems in responding to the pandemic, sending the wrong message to the public and risking staff shortages if workers fall ill.
Everything is happening when a more contagious variant of the virus begins to spread in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Friday that this strain may be the dominant strain that strikes the United States in March.
Although there are no national data showing the number of health professionals who have refused to be vaccinated, governors, public health officials and health executives have raised the alarm about what appears to be a higher than expected refusal rate.
In the state of New York, more than 40% of healthcare professionals, who are the first in line to receive the injection because of its importance for the response to COVID-19, have not yet been vaccinated. It is not clear how many actually refused the vaccine, compared to not being offered yet. But the percentage of workers who refused a vaccine in different regions of the state ranges from 12% to 29%, said the New York governor. Andrew Cuomo
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“This is worrying to say the least,” Cuomo told reporters on Friday.
The CDC warned that the new strain of rapid spread of the coronavirus may be overloading already overburdened hospitals. Because it is more contagious, it may also require more people to be vaccinated to achieve the necessary level of collective immunity.
“Hospitals are saying, ‘We are running out of staff because the team is getting sick,'” said Cuomo.
“That is why health professionals are the priority, because if you vaccinate health professionals, health professionals do not get sick, hospitals are open. If the hospital stays open, it helps everyone. If hospitals close, it hurts everyone. ”
The launch of the COVID-19 vaccine got off to a slow start in the US, probably due in part to hesitation among those in the top priority groups.
Most states prioritized health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities for the first limited doses of the vaccine.
It is not just New York health care professionals that are a problem.
According to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 29 percent of those working in a healthcare setting said they probably would not, or definitely would not, get the vaccine, even if it was free and considered safe by scientists.
Experts say the reasons for the vaccine’s hesitation among healthcare professionals are similar to the concerns of the general population, including concerns about potential side effects. Some may also be taking a wait-and-see approach to see how the vaccine affects people who get it before.
“I am definitely concerned that health professionals are choosing to wait to be vaccinated,” said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
“For me, it is extremely important that we provide the right information to healthcare professionals and that we quickly eliminate myths and incorrect information.”
Hesitation seems to be particularly prominent among workers in long-term care facilities, where the team cares for some of the most vulnerable members of society, who account for a large proportion of COVID-19 deaths in the USA.
About 45 percent of workers in long-term care facilities have been vaccinated so far, said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, a trade group that represents long-term care facilities.
“It doesn’t mean that our team is stupid or not making good decisions or anything,” said Parkinson. “There has been a lot of misinformation out there. There are rampant rumors spreading on social media. “
He expects more workers to be vaccinated after seeing colleagues receive the injection without problems.
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized two vaccines for emergency use, considering them safe and effective. The data show that adverse effects are rare, but the vaccine’s hesitation, in part caused by misinformation and the spread of misinformation online, has grown in recent years.
While employers may require vaccinations for their employees, they are at risk of an adverse reaction.
Employees at long-term care institutions are often already understaffed, and most do not want to risk workers leaving their jobs if they are told they should be vaccinated, Parkinson said. Instead, some facilities are offering incentives for workers who are vaccinated.
“I’m much more of a carrot than a stick person,” said Parkinson.
“I have been encouraging providers to offer incentives, rewards and bonuses for people to get the vaccine, instead of punishments if they don’t. But, one way or the other, we have to get it right and much higher than now. “