It is well known that a significant number of Americans are reluctant or unwilling to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
But it was a surprise that a substantial number of health professionals are refusing it.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine did not have numbers, but acknowledged this week that some health professionals refused to apply for the vaccine and noted some work in nursing homes, where the COVID-19 number has been especially loud.
A recent survey by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation found that 29% of health professionals expressed unwillingness or reluctance to receive the vaccine – more than the share of the general public, 27%, who expressed this opinion. However, Kaiser found that the public’s willingness to get vaccinated was increasing, increasing eight percentage points since September.
But the reluctance among healthcare professionals came as a surprise to many, who assumed that people in the healthcare field would understand that the vaccine, as virtually all experts agree, proved to be safe and effective and therefore adopted it.
Adam Marles, the CEO of LeadingAge PA, which represents nursing homes, did not have exact figures, but said he is hearing between 50% and 75% of qualified nursing home employees applying for vaccines.
Still, some who declined the first opportunity say they hope to get it later, according to Marles. He considers this reasonable, since the vaccine requires two doses administered several weeks apart. Therefore, employees can count on a second distribution within weeks, and others after that, as nursing homes will continuously vaccinate new residents.
Zach Shamberg, CEO of the Health Care Association of Pennsylvania, which also represents nursing homes, said he heard of “few examples of employees who simply refuse the vaccine”. He also said that he plans to postpone until a later opportunity.
“I think there is just a certain nervousness, not understanding the side effects, feeling like guinea pigs, especially as it is still just an emergency use permit,” said Marles.
He said the rate of nursing home residents who accept the vaccine is “much, much higher”.
Pennsylvania is in its third week of distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, with about 160,000 doses administered as of Tuesday. There have been no reports of major side effects, the most common being fever and chills lasting a day or less and sore arms, as are common with vaccines.
Levine, when discussing the refusal of some health professionals, said: “These vaccines are safe and effective and it will be extremely important that people sign up or receive the vaccine and receive the second dose of these vaccines, so that we can eventually stop the spread and surpass COVID-19. “
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Because of the initial limitations in vaccine supply, vaccine distribution in Pennsylvania has so far focused only on frontline health workers in places like hospitals and nursing homes and nursing homes.
Kelly McCall, a spokeswoman for the UPMC Pinnacle, which operates six hospitals in the Harrisburg area, said 80% of eligible employees are accepting the vaccine. She said vaccination is not mandatory, but “highly recommended”. She said the general UPMC system, which has hospitals across Pennsylvania, vaccinated about 30,000 employees, or about 40% of frontline staff, and has another 20,000 vaccinations scheduled.
At this point, it is difficult, if not impossible, for health administrators to know exactly how many employees are refusing vaccines. That’s because people sign up for vaccination appointments, instead of directly accepting or refusing the vaccine.
Dr. Gerald Maloney, Geisinger’s medical director, said that Geisinger employees are “making appointments as soon as we can make them available … We believe that our team is doing the right thing for the overwhelming majority.”
He said Geisinger vaccinated around 10,000 employees and had no problems using the available doses. Some officials, he said, traveled up to an hour to reach the vaccination site, knowing that they would also have to make a second trip. In addition, Geisinger and other health systems this week began offering vaccines to independent local health care providers, such as doctors, nurses and paramedics.
“Our phone has literally been ringing off the hook” with healthcare professionals looking to get vaccinated, said Maloney.
Still, there are reports from around the country describing a high number of health professionals and first-rate professionals refusing the vaccine. For example, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he was concerned that at the end of December, about 60% of workers in nursing homes refused to receive an injection, according to The Columbus Dispatch .
Maloney said a survey of Geisinger employees conducted weeks ago found that about 17% said they “would absolutely not be” vaccinated.
“Does it surprise me? Yes and no. You would think that, as a healthcare professional, you would have a full understanding of the benefits, ”he said.
But Maloney said he understands that Geisinger’s 24,000 employees reflect a variety of educational, economic and political backgrounds. These factors, especially political affiliation, have a major impact on opinions about the vaccine. In addition, false information about the COVID-19 vaccine is widespread, including the false belief, Maloney noted, that the COVID-19 vaccine is being used to implant a chip under the skin.
“It is very difficult to deal with someone who believes strongly in something like this. Fortunately, this is not our team, but it is available in the community, ”he said. “There are a variety of groups promoting things that are not true, so we have to deal with that.”
At the same time, Maloney recognizes that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed in record time with new technologies and with a shorter clinical trial period and fewer participants than usual. Although Maloney, like most experts, believes the test was sufficient and the vaccine is safe and effective, he understands why anyone can hesitate.
“I would never call anyone irresponsible for saying let me figure it out and make my decision,” he said.
That is why Geisinger, like many health organizations, has so far allowed the COVID-19 vaccination to be voluntary. However, as more data becomes available, Geisinger and others will consider making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory, as they do with influenza vaccination.
It is also significant that, unlike the flu vaccine, which prevents people from catching the flu and also transmitting it to others, COVID-19 has so far not been proven to prevent someone from transmitting COVID-19. Therefore, health leaders have no data to argue that if someone, such as a nursing home worker, refuses the vaccine, they pose a greater threat to the people they care for than the employees who were vaccinated.
Maloney hopes that as reluctant health professionals see their colleagues being vaccinated without negative consequences, they will realize that it is safe and beneficial.
Maloney, who was involved in vaccinating Geisinger employees, said he found a person who asked about the brand, then said he did not trust her. However, they looked at the information online and she became convinced that the vaccine is safe.
“Armed with that knowledge, she went ahead and accepted without reservation,” said Maloney.
LeadingAge’s Marles believes that the various levels of acceptance in nursing homes are related to the cultures within the facility and the proximity to which managers interact with employees. Shamberg, of the Pennsylvania Health Association, said that nursing home leaders have been working hard to clear doubts and assure employees that the vaccine is safe.
“It’s all about leadership in buildings,” he said. “This is the first step towards normality … We hope that the vast majority [of nursing home staff] will get this vaccine. “