/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ff0bdec6c292aea4602b2c7/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=5000&cropY1=253&cropY2=3067 "Large numbers of healthcare and front-line workers refuse Covid-19 vaccine")
Top line
Despite the rapidly accelerating Covid-19 mortality rate in the United States, a surprisingly high percentage of health care workers and front-line workers across the country – who were predicted to receive early coronavirus vaccine – are reportedly reluctant or refusing to to take it. , despite clear scientific evidence that the vaccines are safe and effective.
Nursing staff are preparing the Covid-19 vaccine. (Photo by Stefano Guidi / Getty Images)
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Key facts
Earlier this week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he was “concerned” about the relatively low number of nursing homes that chose to take the vaccine, and DeWine said about 60% of nursing home staff denied the opportunity has.
Dr. Joseph Varon, head of critical care at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, told NPR in December that more than half of the nurses in his unit told him they would not receive the vaccine.
About 55 percent of New York firefighters surveyed said they would not get the coronavirus vaccine, the president of the Fire Department said last month.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that hospital and public officials in Riverside, California, were forced to find out how the best unused doses could be allocated after an estimated 50% of frontline workers in the state refused the vaccine.
Less than half of the hospital workers in the St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Tehama County, California, was prepared to be vaccinated, and according to reports, about 20% to 40% of LA province workers refused the opportunity to take the vaccine.
Dr. Nikhila Juvvadi, the clinical head of Loretto Hospital in Chicago, said a survey was done in December, and 40% of hospital staff said they would not be vaccinated.
Important background:
A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 29% of health professionals are reluctant to receive the vaccine, citing concerns about possible side effects and a lack of confidence in the government to ensure that the vaccines are safe. Frontline workers in the United States are disproportionately black and Hispanic. The pandemic took an “extraordinary toll” on this segment of the population, which reportedly accounted for about 65% of deaths in cases where racial and ethnicity data existed. A study published by the journal The Lancet during the summer it was found that “health workers of color were more than twice as likely as their white counterparts” to test positive for the coronavirus. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center published in December, the skepticism about the vaccine is greatest among black Americans, with less than 43% saying they would definitely / probably get a Covid-19 vaccine. Dr. Juvvadi told NPR that there is no transparency between pharmaceutical companies or research companies – or sometimes the government – about how many people from black and Latino communities were involved in the vaccine investigation. Dr Varon said that ‘the fact that [President] Trump is in charge of speeding up the process that ‘bothers individuals who refuse to be vaccinated and adds’ everyone thinks it is meant to harm specific sectors of the population. ‘In a report published in the New York Times Earlier this week, emergency physicians Benjamin Thomas and Monique Smith wrote that ‘vaccine unwillingness is a direct result of the abuse of the black people’s medical system’ and past atrocities, such as the unethical surgeries performed by J. Marion Sims and the Tuskegee syphilis study was conducted, the best example of “the culture of medical exploitation, abuse and neglect of black Americans.”
Important quote:
“I’ve heard Tuskegee more times than I can count in the last month – and you know, it’s a valid, valid case,” said Dr. Juvvadi said.
What to look out for:
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a Friday interview that it was “quite possible” that the Covid-19 vaccine might be needed for international travel and at some point in the future to go to school.
Large number:
40 million. In early December, government officials said they planned to have 40 million doses available by the end of 2020, which would be enough to fully vaccinate 20 million Americans. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, less than 3 million Americans received the first dose of the vaccine, with 14 million doses distributed.
Further reading:
Fauci says the US is considering allowing more Americans to get the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine with modified approach (Forbes)
Some healthcare professionals refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine, even with priority access (LA Times)
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