Key TakeawaysFewer than 40% of long-term care facility staff have been vaccinated against COVID-19 despite having access to shots at work.Vaccine hesitancy remains a concern in the U.S., especially among people who live in rural areas and people of color.Linking people who are vaccine hesitant with peers and leaders in their community can help convince them to take the vaccine.

Key Takeaways

Fewer than 40% of long-term care facility staff have been vaccinated against COVID-19 despite having access to shots at work.Vaccine hesitancy remains a concern in the U.S., especially among people who live in rural areas and people of color.Linking people who are vaccine hesitant with peers and leaders in their community can help convince them to take the vaccine.

New research is showcasing an alarming trend: Nursing home staff are not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at high enough rates, seemingly because of a hesitancy towards the shots.

It’s not a question of supply; both residents and staff of long-term care facilities were prioritized in the vaccine rollout according to guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. According toSarah Berry, MD, MPH, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a clinical researcher at Hebrew Senior Life, a long-term care facility in Boston, Massachusetts, the issue is partly cultural.

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Tuckson and other Black leaders referenced the deep-seated mistrust that stems from theTuskegee Experiment,a 1932 CDC study which looked at syphilis among thousands of Black men over a 40-year period, but failed to treat them or inform them they were not being treated so they could leave the study and seek care.

As a result of not only Tuskegee but decades of inequities in the healthcare system, vaccine messaging won’t necessarily be impactful coming from the government or healthcare professionals. Instead, different trusted messengers are needed to help allay fears about the vaccine to different groups. Tuckson says that goal is behind the creation of theBlack Coalition Against COVID,which includes messages and videos with community and faith leaders explaining why they got the vaccine and why others should as well.

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Tuckson calls the Coalition a “grassroots, community-based organization of influencers who can communicate science in their own vernacular,” explaining it has held virtual multicultural town hall meetings.

Berry agrees that town halls are a critical way to address vaccine hesitancy.  She began organizing town halls with nursing home staff within a week of the Pfizer vaccine being authorized in December. These meetings were staffed with diverse panel members with whom staff could identify. “What has been most helpful at the town halls is people sharing their experiences, and saying ‘when I got my vaccine…’” Berry says.

What This Means For YouIf you’re concerned about effects of the vaccine, talk to your doctor, a friend who has gotten vaccinated, or a community leader to ask about their experience.

What This Means For You

If you’re concerned about effects of the vaccine, talk to your doctor, a friend who has gotten vaccinated, or a community leader to ask about their experience.

Despite her efforts, Berry is still concerned about vaccination rates among nursing home staff.

“There has to be a plan going forward and we don’t have that yet,” she says, explaining high staff turnover and a constant influx of new employees makes vaccine education difficult.

“Unfortunately, some staff members tend to trust information from their peers better than from their manager or the government,” she says. “My goal isn’t to convince every single person [to vaccinate], but rather to get them good information, and [allow them to] make their decision based on that information and not on what they’re hearing on social media or from a friend.”

Berry and her colleagues have created awebsitetailored to helping nursing homes share reliable information on the vaccines.

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More than half the nursing homes in the country have signed on to participate.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gharpure R, Guo A, Bishnoi CK, et al.Early COVID-19 First-Dose Vaccination Coverage Among Residents and Staff Members of Skilled Nursing Facilities Participating in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program — United States, December 2020–January 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 1 February 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7005e2

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gharpure R, Guo A, Bishnoi CK, et al.Early COVID-19 First-Dose Vaccination Coverage Among Residents and Staff Members of Skilled Nursing Facilities Participating in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program — United States, December 2020–January 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 1 February 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7005e2

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Gharpure R, Guo A, Bishnoi CK, et al.Early COVID-19 First-Dose Vaccination Coverage Among Residents and Staff Members of Skilled Nursing Facilities Participating in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program — United States, December 2020–January 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 1 February 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7005e2

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