According to an American Nurses Association survey, 1 in 8 nurses has not had a COVID-19 vaccination or doesn't plan on getting one.
25% of nurses surveyed doubt the safety and effectiveness vaccines.
Vaccine mandates are a complicating factor in a time of healthcare worker shortages.
Insider Healthcare: Get the latest news and analysis in healthcare Loading Click to sign up for marketing emails from Insider and other partners. You also agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
America's hospitals face another problem as coronavirus hospitalizations rise again due to the Delta variant. A new survey has found that 1 in 8 nurses have not received a COVID-19 vaccination or don't plan on getting one. This could lead to a decrease in the supply of healthcare workers.
Nearly 5,000 nurses in the US were surveyed by the American Nurses Association to find out their concerns and questions about the vaccine. 25% of nurses who were surveyed did not believe or doubt that the available coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective. 84% of those who did not want to be vaccinated said they didn't have enough information on the long-term effects.
Experts in health have stated repeatedly that vaccines do a great job of keeping people healthy and out of the hospital. They also claim that side effects will be apparent within a few months.
The majority of nurses surveyed worked in hospitals with 100-1000 beds or more. 71% provided direct care for patients at the facilities.
There is a severe shortage of nurses in hospitals across the country. Healthcare workers are in high demand. Many have also quit the field due to burnout. Hospitals are now faced with two choices: to inoculate staff or to risk alienating employees, due to the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant.
According to a press release, the ANA supports COVID-19 vaccines for nurses. It states that healthcare workers have ethical obligations to use the same prevention measures for their patients as they do for themselves. Survey results showed that 59% of nurses support mandated vaccines.
Dr. Ernest J., president of the ANA, stated that nurses are "the largest group of health-care professionals and must be able to respond to all aspects of COVID-19. They must also strive to stay physically and psychologically safe in order to provide optimal care for their patients, their families, and their communities." Grant stated in the statement. "Nurses should be vaccinated."
The ANA created the survey as part of a larger project, COVID Vaccine facts for Nurses, which was created in collaboration with many other healthcare organizations including Johnson & Johnson to provide reliable vaccine information for nurses.
The COVID-19 vaccine was available to healthcare workers in the US in December. This was months before most Americans received shots in their arms. According to the CDC, 52.3% Americans were fully vaccinated as of December. 61.6% had received at most one dose.
