Nearly half of US medical employees have not been vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a new survey.
The report, released Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that only 52% of health care workers received at least one dose of the vaccine, even though they were among the first to be eligible for treatment in most communities.
Only 64 percent of those surveyed said they were confident in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and 48 percent had not yet received the shot.
Health workers were quoted as expressing a wide range of views on the vaccine, similar to those found in the general public, according to the survey, which was conducted in collaboration with the Washington Post.
“I would give up if the work told me I had to take it,” he said in a poll.
“It’s the only way to end the pandemic,” said another.
The survey included interviews with 1,327 front-line health workers, conducted in both English and Spanish, from 11 February to 7 March. Front-line health workers were defined in the survey as those in direct contact with patients or body fluids.