The Covid-19 vaccine is taking the world by storm. Instead of using personal protective equipment, like masks and face guards, we can switch to vaccines so we can go back to living a normal life. We know that everyone in the world wants to get back to eating in restaurants, going to the gym, and hanging out with their friends in bars – however, to do this safely, we need to fight Covid-19 together.
However, some people do not think the best way to fight this global pandemic is to get the vaccine. Many people in the world, such as anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers, think that Covid is not real or disapproves of what is happening with people today. Although you may feel some of these people are crazy, some people who do not want the vaccine are professionals in the hospital industry.
So, why do professionals who know a lot about the medical and healthy industry think getting the vaccine could be detrimental? Let’s find out more about their reasoning and if the statistics agree.
Why do healthcare workers not want the Covid-19 vaccine?
Although you may think it’s crazy for people in the medical profession to not want a barrier against a global pandemic, thousands of healthcare workers across the world do not feel safe getting the Covid vaccine.
Just like any other type of medication or vaccine, the Covid-19 vaccine has a long list of health concerns and side effects that have not had the chance to be fully studied yet. Since Covid is so new, there are currently no studies on the long-term effects of the vaccine since people who are getting the vaccine have still only been vaccinated for less than 6 months.
The FDA authorized the Covid-19 vaccine for use, but this doesn’t mean the long-term effects are not detrimental to your health. Many healthcare workers are against taking an experimental vaccine that could potentially give them harmful side effects at a later date, like flu-like symptoms or more long-lasting issues.
Some healthcare workers feel that they can build immunity from Covid-19 due to being exposed or taking proper precautionary measures. If you can create immunity to other airborne illnesses, such as the cold or flu, they believe they can do the same for Covid-19.
Hospital workers saw the worst of the virus – and they were not escaping from the deadly side effects and lives ruined due to Covid-19. It is safe to say that since they were the closest to the disease, they might be the first to get the vaccine. However, with this being said, it is interesting that those closest to the virus may be more against the Covid-19 vaccine than the general public.
Vaccination Rates in Hospitals
Hospital workers were first in line for vaccines – although some refused. Many hospital workers refuse to be vaccinated, with the range of vaccination rates at hospitals only from 53% to 72%. The most extensive coverage across the largest hospitals globally goes from 51% to 91%, showing how there is still a considerable gap in the number of vaccinated healthcare workers.
Out of 276 hospitals across the country, most of the vaccination rates of healthcare workers in these institutions fell below the mandated level set forth by the President in the middle of the summer. By July 4, Joe Biden stated that he wanted 70% of the population vaccinated. However, the number of vaccinated healthcare workers falls below this targeted range in most hospitals.
When discussing the Covid-19 vaccination rates of healthcare workers, many organizations believe most hospitals will struggle to get their vaccination rate between 70 and 75%. This is concerning for many people who work in the healthcare industry, as public health officials state the easiest ways to curb the fast spread of the virus and get back to normal is by increasing vaccination rates as close to 100% as possible.
For example, in a specific hospital in Texas, workers are often overworked and underpaid. With only a few days off per year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they have to spend most of their time trying to figure out how to best take care of all their patients without worrying about themselves.
However, even due to the overwork in the Covid unit, they still do not want to get vaccinated. The people in charge, such as the head unit and chief of operations, are baffled and confused about how people who see the side effects of Covid-19 still choose not to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
What is surprising is the rate of hospital workers and healthcare workers who refuse to get the vaccine compared to the average population. Almost 50% of all adults in the US are currently vaccinated, which is very comparable to the number of healthcare workers. What is even more surprising is the fact that half are immunized, with the vaccine only being available for a short period to the majority of people in the US, whereas the vaccine was first available to front line and healthcare workers.
With the higher vaccination rates and the use of preventive, protective equipment, we see a decline in Covid cases. You would think that with a decrease in cases, healthcare workers would see the correlation between vaccine rates and the world’s health at large.
Conclusion
It is somewhat a mystery why healthcare workers do not want to get vaccines compared to the plummeting Covid rates associated with vaccination rates and public awareness of this disease. Although healthcare workers are on the frontline and exposed to most cases of Covid compared to the population at large, it can still be unknown – what are the long-term side effects? Due to the many questions that Covid-19 poses, many professionals are still wary about getting a vaccine for which there are no proposed long-term consequences – yet.
