Not everyone is excited about the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine.
Which includes hospital workers.
According to an internal survey, University Hospital in Newark recently found that 50% of its employees are comfortable taking the vaccine once it is available, according to an internal survey.
The medical establishment to fight the coronavirus epidemic is a surprising reminder of the dangers taken by many through the rapid vaccine development and testing process as a race. The president and CEO of the university hospital and former health commissioner of the state, Dr. It is also noteworthy that the number of COVID-19 positive employees in the intensive care unit doubled in November, according to Sheriff Elnahal.
The concerns of hospital staff reflect many of the general public, who have to weigh the risks of the new vaccine against the risks of the coronavirus that have claimed more than 17,000 people in New Jersey alone.
“Vaccination hesitation and public confidence are the biggest risks at this point,” Elnahle said. “I believe in what we are seeing with science and data. I believe in logistics that the vaccine will eventually be found where it needs to go – and in the process of administering it. But what we have not yet resolved is a point of contention. ”
The worst case scenario is that when it comes to the market, vaccines are rejected by the people so that an epidemic can break out.
In the University Hospital survey, which included non-medical hospital staff, the concerns were mostly about possible adverse side effects, Elnahl said.
Nurses had similar results when the state health department conducted a survey of health care workers in October. New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichili said during a recent coronavirus media briefing that one-third of New Jersey doctors said they would take the vaccine once available, but only “47% of nurses responded that they would.
General Gustav F. of the U.S. Army. Parna – who is in charge of vaccinating all Americans – said recently at 60 minutes that “we are ashamed if we vaccinate Americans, and they don’t.”
Effective government advisory committees said Tuesday that health care workers should be at the forefront when the vaccine first becomes available.
But a whole whirlwind of mistrust, misinformation and politics, experts say, spreads the expected role from the vaccine.
Dean of Rutgers School Public Health Perry Ann. “The hesitation of this vaccine is not surprising to me, as we have politicized it,” Hulkitis said. “The problem is that we have politicized it in two political ways: you have a cult of personality that Trump people think (the virus) is not real, and then you have anti-Trump people who believe, ‘I don’t believe this because This is fake, and this is bad. ‘
“It’s huge. And remember, University H Hospital Spital has a large population of blacks, with whom there is medical distrust. “
Inside Newark Hospital, a bilingual battle ensues between the other waves as the case of COVID-19 progresses. One is battling the virus, and the other is trying to win hearts and minds about the vaccine through a massive public relations campaign.
“We wanted to be proactive about this, because there was a lot of skepticism about the vaccine,” said Ehna Alhall, an early volunteer to receive the vaccine during a clinical trial. “Not just because the pace was so fast, and their development … but also because of the many influences on the history of medical experimentation in color communities.”
Elnahal is working to deliver the message locally, addressing the warnings in public and at her own convenience.
“This strategy should be appropriate,” he said. “And I think trusted local community appointees in the right strategy will help you carry that message along with the medical establishment.”
The acceptance of fear and skepticism – especially in communities of color – is serious.
When University H Hospital Spital and Rutgers joined the New Jersey Medical School in New York to conduct trials for the modern vaccine, it issued a statement to residents citing the TSG syphilis study and medical research conducted by J. Marion Sims. He said his suspicions have been confirmed.
“For something as serious as a chemical you’re injecting into your own body, of course you have to be suspicious and look at all the information,” Elnahle said.
“And that skepticism is real. That’s fair, “he added. “And it’s really our job to address it as a medical establishment.”
Ellenhal is one of the health officials trying to gain that trust. There are still many to explain. But he is optimistic.
“While I agree that it is a risk, I think we can eliminate it. But it will not be easy, ”he said.
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Spencer can be reached at Kent [email protected].
Staff author Rebecca Everett contributed to this report.
