Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said about 60 percent of nursing home staffers who were offered the COVID-19 vaccine have declined, the Ohio Capital Journal reported Jan. 5.
"Many staff are simply 'not yet ready,' which will hopefully change as they see more and more colleagues vaccinated without side effects and confidence continues to build," Patrick Schwartz, a spokesperson for Leading Age Ohio, an elder advocacy group, told the news outlet.
The Journal cited survey responses from the local Service Employees International Union that highlight trust issues between historically underpaid and overworked staff, many of whom have already had COVID-19, and health authorities. Many respondents also expressed concerns over the vaccine's quick development.
"There are trust issues among frontline healthcare workers — some of which precede the pandemic," said Becky Williams, SEIU 1199 district president. "These trust issues continue after so many nursing home workers have been on the frontlines of the pandemic without hazard pay and support such as needed personal protective equipment."
While the union has been working to educate members on COVID-19 vaccination efforts, state-level outreach and educational efforts are needed to better address the hesitancy.
On the other hand, an "overwhelming majority" of facility residents, many of whom lived through polio and other diseases that were eradicated through vaccines, are willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine, Mr. Schwartz said.
Healthcare workers across the U.S., including at hospitals in Chicago and Los Angeles, have also rejected the vaccine.