The COVID vaccination rate among nursing home employees is 'unacceptable' and must change, Murphy

[TexasTowelie]

The COVID vaccination rate among nursing home employees is ‘unacceptable’ and must change, Murphy says


Only half of the people who work in long-term care facilities in New Jersey have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, an “unacceptable” rate that must change in order to protect vulnerable residents, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

Although the number of cases and fatalities among nursing home and assisted living facility residents is declining, there are still 273 active outbreaks, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said during the governor’s pandemic briefing.

Experts agree that employees are the likely source of the continuing COVID-19 outbreaks because they go home after work and may be employed at more than one facility.

Long-term care residents were given priority status when the vaccine first arrived in December, 90% of assisted living residents and 72% of other long-term care residents are fully vaccinated, Persichilli said. Yet only 50% of the people taking care of these residents are taken the shots, she said.

Read more: https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2021/03/the-covid-vaccination-rate-among-nursing-home-employees-is-unacceptable-and-must-change-murphy-says.html

[CottonBear]

1. Getting fully vaccinated should be a condition of employment for these facilities.

If one cannot or will not get vaccinated, then one should not be able to work in such a facility.

[alfie]

2. I wonder how much effort was made to educate them?

I recently talked with a young woman who works as a housekeeper in a nursing home. She said she had not taken the vaccine because she was afraid. I asked why. She said they were made from unborn babies. They were made too quick. They caused bad problems. I started talking with her about her answers, assured her they weren't made from fetal tissue, had some side effects but they didn't last long. She had also said they weren't OK'd by the FDA and I assured her they were. She seemed really surprised at my answers. I am a retired RN and she knows that. I am pretty sure she plans on getting one now. I'm betting all these rumors were passed around by other house keepers, maybe some of the nurse's aids. It wouldn't take long to meet with folks who don't have the education to understand or the inclination to research the answers.