Fewer well being care staff are getting the latest COVID-19 booster.
Findings from a brand new survey by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) present 15.3 % of the roughly 8 million well being care staff in hospitals have gotten the latest COVID-19 booster for the 2023-24 respiratory virus season.
Protection was lowest — at 12.7 % — amongst licensed unbiased practitioners.
Vaccination protection was even decrease amongst nursing house well being staff. The survey discovered that simply 10.5 % of the nation’s 1.8 million nursing house personnel obtained the latest COVID-19 booster throughout the 2023-24 respiratory sickness season.
Well being care staff in each areas had greater vaccination protection throughout final yr’s respiratory virus season, in keeping with the CDC.
Through the 2022-23 respiratory virus season, 17.8 % and 22.8 % of well being care staff in hospitals and nursing properties had obtained a COVID-19 booster, respectively.
The decline in vaccination charges comes after the Biden administration ended its mandated COVID-19 vaccination requirement in Might 2023.
On prime of this, COVID-19 vaccines have been additionally commercialized within the fall of that yr, probably growing prices for amenities and well being care personnel, in keeping with the company.
“These two events might have affected vaccination campaigns and on-site access to COVID-19 vaccines in nursing homes,” the CDC wrote in an evaluation of the survey knowledge.
However a latest survey of well being care staff discovered that whereas many personnel consider that COVID-19 is a critical well being risk, few well being care staff believe within the “effectiveness, safety, and benefit” of the COVID-19 vaccination.
The CDC recommends that everybody 6 months and older ought to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which protects kids and adults from extreme illness, hospitalization and loss of life.
