While residents of nursing homes and their caregivers have been considered a top priority for COVID-19 vaccination, only 38% of nursing home staff accepted shots when they were offered. This according a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Anecdotal reports have been circulating for weeks that nursing home staff members were turning down vaccination offers, but these are the first national-level figures. Of course, historically, nursing homes trail other health care institutions in the staff penetration of vaccines (see CDC Reports That SNF Workers Most Likely Among Health Care Workers to Forego Recommended Vaccinations).
Dr. Radhika Gharpure, lead author of the study and a member of the CDC’s Vaccine Task Force wrote, "These findings show we have a lot of work to do to increase confidence and also really understand the barriers to vaccination amongst this population." The report cited previous polling data to suggest why employees have been declining vaccines. Many raised concerns about vaccine side effects. Others said they didn't want to be among the first to receive the vaccines, which were first authorized in December. Some said they didn't trust the government, or referenced false claims about the shots.
Residents, meanwhile, have been much more accepting of vaccines, with 78% receiving at least one shot, according to the new report, which examined vaccination rates at more than 11,000 long-term care facilities nationwide between Dec. 18 and Jan. 17.
Source, "Roughly one-third of long-term care staff vaccinated through federal program: CDC," The Hill (2/1/21).
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