A large percentage of frontline workers in hospitals and nursing homes have refused to take the Covid-19 vaccine, an obstacle for public health officials, as the country struggles to carry out vaccinations across the country.
About 50 percent of frontline workers in Riverside County, California, have refused to take the vaccine, Riverside Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday. California is currently overwhelmed with cases as hospital staff in Southern California have a shortage of intensive care units, creating improvised units.
Vaccine development and distribution have been the target of persistent conspiracy theories and disinformation on social media, although it is unclear how much influence this anti-vaccination movement has had on the general public confidence in the process.
About 2 in 10 Americans are sure they will not change their mind about refusing the vaccine, according to data from the Pew Research Center. And 62 percent said they would be uncomfortable being among the first to receive the vaccine.
About 60 percent of Ohio nursing home workers are estimated to have refused the vaccine, Ohio government Mike DeWine said during a news conference Wednesday. This is a stark contrast to the number of nursing home residents who took the vaccine when it was offered, which DeWine presumably was about 85 percent.
“We’re not going to make it, but we wish we had a higher compliance,” DeWine said. And our message today is: the train may not be back for a while. We’re going to make it available to everyone eventually, but this is the opportunity for you, and you really need to think about getting it. ”
The deployment for the vaccine has already been answered with several logistical hurdles, as only 2.6 million people have been vaccinated since Wednesday. A review by DBC on earlier data Tuesday found that at the current rate, it would take nearly ten years to vaccinate enough Americans to get the pandemic under control.
It is unclear how refusal by essential workers, who are predisposed to receive the vaccine in the first phase of administration, may further impede the distribution efforts.
A survey of 2053 firefighters in New York City found that more than half said they would refuse the Covid-19 vaccine when it became available, according to a poll released by the Uniformed Firefighters Association this month. .
Some of the firefighters may overlap with those who have already contracted the coronavirus and do not believe they should get the vaccine, said Andy Ansbro, the union president.
“As a union, we encourage our members to get the vaccine, but we defend their right to make the choice,” Ansbro said. “I personally feel that this vaccine is safe, I have done my own research, I will get the vaccine and I will encourage other members to do it. Ultimately, it is their own choice.”
Ansboro was among the many essential workers who received the vaccine, according to a photo posted by the UFA on Tuesday. The FDNY reported that 1,000 members had been vaccinated by Tuesday.
A number of politicians, public health officials and frontline workers have taken the vaccine publicly to give confidence in the shots, including the leading expert in infectious diseases, dr. Anthony Fauci, Elected President Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence.
The intensive care unit, Sandra Linsdsay, was one of the first in the country to receive the vaccine and told reporters she felt ‘relieved’ afterwards.
“I feel the healing is coming,” Linsdsay said. “I hope this is the beginning of the end of the very painful time in our history.”