Just 38% of aged care workers in the US have accepted the COVID-19 vaccine

News from the US this week has served as a reminder that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines will not always be easy.

Figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate less than 38% of aged care workers in the US accepted a vaccine when it was offered to them.

The data shows that among the 11,460 skilled nursing facilities with vaccination clinics across the country, only 37.5% of workers accepted the vaccination.

77.8% of residents in these facilities accepted a vaccine – which means that more than one in 10 didn’t despite them being the most vulnerable.

How is the roll-out going to work here?

It’s difficult to say how many people will take up the vaccine.

As we have reported, aged care workers will be among the first Australians offered a vaccine for COVID-19, according to the Federal Government’s official COVID strategy.

Up to 1.4 million doses have been set aside for Phase 1a, which will include aged care staff and residents as well as quarantine and border workers and frontline care workers.

The Department of Health states: “Priority groups are identified by taking into account current public health, medical and epidemiological evidence on who would be most affected if they contracted COVID-19.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that vaccinations will, at least at this point, not be mandatory for aged care staff and workers.

But he hasn’t ruled out them being mandatory in the future.

‘No jab, no job’

Some employers are stating ‘no jab, no job’ for new employees, but they can’t force existing employees to be vaccinated.

Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) had been among groups pushing for mandatory vaccinations for aged care workers, with chief executive Sean Rooney saying he hopes the Government will change its position in a statement.

“Part of doing all we can to protect older Australians in care is to consider mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for aged care workers – assuming it is safe to do so and with appropriate exemptions,” he said.

But if there’s anything to be taken from the US experience, it’s that it is up to the individual.

Hopefully we all continue to do what we can to protect our most vulnerable – and that includes measures like mask wearing and social distancing, even after the vaccines become available to everyone.