A study revealed that health care workers’ COVID-19 vaccination rates rose from 75% to 95% within months, influenced by safety messaging and access. The research also found demographic disparities in vaccine hesitancy, highlighting the need to address systemic mistrust.
Despite experiencing the virus’s devastation firsthand, many health care workers did not intend to get vaccinated when the COVID-19 vaccinations became available. However, a recent Northwestern Medicine research illustrates how rapidly many of them changed their attitudes at a large urban health care system, resulting in a vaccination rate of 95 percent by spring 2021.
The study found:
- Only three-fourths of the 4,180 health care workers in the study intended to get vaccinated in winter 2021, but by spring 2021, 95% had been vaccinated.
- Of the health care workers who were unsure about getting vaccinated in winter 2021, 90% had been vaccinated by spring 2021.
- Of the health care workers who indicated no intention to get vaccinated in winter 2021, nearly 60% had changed their minds and gotten vaccinated by spring 2021.
Influences Behind the Change in Attitudes
“This study found health care workers’ attitudes about COVID-19 vaccination could change in a very short period of time,” said lead study author Charlesnika Evans, professor of preventive medicine in epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It shows there is an opportunity to change people’s decisions about not getting vaccinated.”
The study was recently published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
The first survey for this analysis was administered to 4,180 Northwestern Medicine health care workers who enrolled in the study from December 2020 through February 2021. The second survey was in June 2021. The survey inquired about COVID-19 exposures and experiences, as well as vaccination status. The participants also had blood tests to measure their antibodies when they enrolled in spring 2020 and six months later.
Evans believes that a variety of circumstances led to health care professionals changing their attitudes. These included a clear message about the vaccines’ safety, easy access to vaccinations at the hospital, and awareness that workplace mandates were coming in the future, as well as the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration.
“We saw a significant change in the number of people who said they would get the vaccine after the EUA was issued. People may have felt, ‘OK, this might be safe for me to take.’ “
Demographic Differences in Vaccination Intentions
Gender, race, and occupation played a role in vaccination acceptance, the study showed. Nurses (versus physicians), non-Hispanic Black (versus Asian) health care workers, and women versus men were less likely to report an intention to get vaccinated.
Individuals who showed negative antibody results were more likely to get vaccinated. People older than 65 years of age were more likely to get vaccinated. Women had a lower intention to get vaccinated than men, especially those who were in their reproductive years. Nurses also had lower intentions to get the vaccine, despite the reports that nurses have the highest rates of COVID-19 among health care workers.
One way to address mistrust is including people who have not traditionally been in research studies, making more of an effort to include them in vaccine or research studies in general, Evans said.
“The fact that they didn’t actively recruit pregnant women into the vaccine studies makes sense early on, but to prove and be sure it’s safe and effective, inclusion of these groups in trials is important,” Evans said. ”However, so far CDC data show that pregnant women have not experienced more adverse events than the general population.”
Ongoing Challenges and Broader Societal Implications
Furthermore, while a “good portion” of Black participants in the study eventually got vaccinated, “mistrust in the health care system is a concern,” Evans said.
“That’s a larger issue to be addressed within society in general that goes way beyond this study,” Evans said. “We must continue thinking about how to improve our messaging and addressing the issues around mistrust toward the health care system. This is imperative for COVID-19 and other conditions.”
Reference: “Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine intentions and uptake in a tertiary-care healthcare system: A longitudinal study” by Charlesnika T. Evans, Benjamin J. DeYoung, Elizabeth L. Gray, Amisha Wallia, Joyce Ho, Mercedes Carnethon, Teresa R. Zembower, Lisa R. Hirschhorn and John T. Wilkins, 27 December 2021, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
DOI: 10.1017/ice.2021.523
Northwestern authors are principal investigator John Wilkins and co-authors Benjamin DeYoung, Elizabeth Gray, Amisha Wallia, Joyce Ho, Mercedes Carnethon, Teresa Zembower, and Lisa Hirschhorn.
The research was funded by Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (UL1TR001422) and the Northwestern Memorial Foundation.
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28 Comments
Ironic… In penna they fired so many that they are understaffed… Why? Because so many staff who have been fully vaccinated are ill!
Now the hospital is full of people fully vaccinated…
So,please,pause the propoganda b4 mslsd & and the ChineseNewsNetwork will report you
Go F nk me Not You liars 4,000 aborted babies in the DOD moving numbers. Never tested pregnant women. This figure doesn’t include early births and still births. Go to Senator Ron Johnson 5hr. Investigation on all aspects of the tyranny of the Koolaid. Search Robert Kennedy Jr. statement on vaccinating babies. If the vaccine gets on the schedule for kids then evil Pharma gets free blows on any damages per 1986 law including adults. Their business plan for murder.
Antivaxxers are the intellectual equivalent of flat earthers. That is, if the incompetent rantings of the flat earthers could be responsible for the death and suffering of hundreds of thousands of people.
Biology 101 at your community college is not that expensive and could equip you with the tools necessary to see through the lies secreted by the anti-vax nitwits.
You should change the title to ‘Healthcare workers forced to get vaccine or lose their job.’
Not anti vaccine, but what this article fails to mention was the threat of healthcare workers losoing their jobs if vaccination was refused.
Many experts of scientists and doctors have admitted that the vaccine is poisonous and has killed millions of people in Africa, U. S., CANADA, all over the world and trying to keep this information quiet. This is sickening and scary and so called MURDER.
Govwrnment coercion is not acceptance.
Your studies are flawed. The reason Healthcare workers were “changing their minds” had everything to do with the government extortion that they are being subjected to. Get the shot or lose your job.
Of course, them looking their jobs for no Vax didn’t have anything to do with it, right?
I love all the comments on here. The reason health care workers changed their minds was because they were made to choose between feeding their families or losing their career, that is what was at stake. I wonder if our government wouldn’t have mandated the vaccine (which Biden had said he wasn’t) how staffed our hospitals would actually be. But Biden essentially fired all the Heroes that kept this country together pre-vaccine because they didn’t comply with big pharmas lobbyists. Thats the story, its a government mandated staff shortage affecting our most vulnerable and weak, our sick and and our dying.
Yeah because their jobs were threatened.
PLZ REEDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THE NON REALITY OF DNA TAMPERING W VACCINE THIS AND OTHER LIES SPREAD RE VACCINES ARE WHY MANY ARE NOT TAKING IT.
ALSO THE LIES ABOUT USELESSNESS OF MASKS SO MANY DIFFERENT STATEMENTS BY FAUCI AND WHY DO WE HAVE TO SEE OR HEAR FROM HIM? THIS IS PUSHING INSULT ON INJURY
GIVE US A MORE EDUCATED ENLIGHTENED CARING NON CORRUPTED MAN TO LEAD AND ADVISE US ON LIFE AND DEATH ISSUES PLZ!!!!
Please stop being a brainwashed sheep. Educate yourself on this Mrna gene therapy that has NEVER been tested in humans and is causing many life altering injuries and deaths. NOT A LIE!
What a fake study……forced vaccination….get it or your fired..that made the Vax rates go up.
This is the biggest lie. Let’s just say I know a lot of people who work there and the reason a lot got vaccinated was because hospital pressure of losing benefits and bonuses on top of having to be tested weekly. This was not a true scientific study and shame on Northwestern for joining the propaganda game. I am disgusted they published this as scientific data. There’s a reason the staffing is so ridiculously short in the hospital. They severely underway staff and force them into this sh*t. I’m vaccinated but an experimental vaccine is a choice and the fact they are putting this on kids is even worse!
They were bullied into changing their minds “No Jab No Job” going against they wills so they can feed their families! STOP Lying about vaccine being safe! The devastating effects are FROM the vaccine I’m a nurse I’ve seen it first hand!
People don’t understand that what is true don’t get the shot or get sick.i have have read that all over the news.they are not hiding it.yes it’s about geting fired but also they are geting sick alot dieing from the shot.i William if you want to poison yourself go ahead.noone will stop you.all the Healthcare workers I talk to have gotten sick or in hospital there selfs.
What a dumb study. Most of them didnt change their mind, the simply didnt want to lose their job!
What a dumb study. Most of them didnt change their mind, the simply didnt want to lose their job!
They changed their mind to keep their jobs they were forced to get it. Don’t make it sound like they decided on their own. And yes I can say this cause I’m a health care worker. And many of my colleagues quick or retirees because if this. You make it sound like oh it’s better to get it. This is BS NOTHING BUT PROPAGANDA.
They were forced to change their minds to keep their jobs you lying, gaslighting, scumbags. Tell the TRUTH!! We see through your BS!!
Not since indoor plumbing has there been a more effective public health benefit with less risk than vaccines.
Up to date and accurate information regarding the COVID-19 vaccines are available at http://www.CDC.gov.
Vaccines are currently the MOST effective treatment for COVID-19, regardless of the variant.
Key information:
The vaccine does NOT contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The vaccine does NOT change your genes.
The vaccine does NOT affect your fertility.
The vaccine does NOT contain any technology, chips, or magnetism. (honestly, this is the most ridiculous of all anti-vax propaganda)
Vaccination in a global pandemic demonstrates an enormous level of civic responsibility as it NOT ONLY protects you and your family, but ALSO friends, neighbors, and community at large against COVID-19 by minimizing the number of infected and infectible people in a group.
In the rare event you still get infected, the vaccine will protect you with near 100% effectiveness against serious/permanent illness and death.
Getting the vaccine may cause symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches and possibly fever. That is OK, those symptoms show your immune system building defenses against COVID.
Jason, not one comment but two. So you doubled down. Are you trying to convince yourself? I don’t agree with your assessment. What exactly is your investment here? Your Key information was supplied to you by whom? Unless you have direct knowledge via being on the research team you are just parroting what you want to believe. Do you also believe the virus was a natural occurrence? Do you also believe that government has your best interest at heart and has nothing to do with control and power?
The vaccines are unsafe and untested. Strange that so many in the health field refused them. I guess they are all ‘flat-earthers’. It is correct that the threat of losing one’s job/career was the only reason those numbers changed. This report, like this site, is anti-science. But at least you have this idiot Jason replying with true disinformation. Good job Jason, Xi says your check is in the mail!
You stupid ass numbskull. That’s like stating a torture victim change their mind and gave up all their secrets!! They were given the option of Vaccine or starve themselves and their families.
They was forced to get vaccinated or lose their jobs..what a bs article
No kidding the percent of vaccinated Healthcare works went up…they were forced to get vaccinated or loose their jobs. Most were given a deadline to be fully vaccinated by, or be fired. How can you write such an article and really believe the percentage of Vaxed Healthcare workers went up simply because they’ve “changed their minds” on the vaccine!!? If anything needs to be flagged as fake news…it needs to be this article. No one with any common sense would believe all of a sudden a bunch of nurses have just decided the vaccine is a great…when anyone who is paying attention knows Healthcare workers across the board are being mandated to get it or be fired…resulting in the real cause of the percentage hike in vaccinated Healthcare works!!!
The safety and efficacy of the mRNA vaccines is proven. Study after study that I have reviewed from The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal Blood, have demonstrated this. It is literally >98% effective at preventing death. But it will not get to that number in preventing sickness as long as the socially irresponsible continue to spew the infection from themselves, all over the general population. Maybe its time to hit them where it hurts, with taxes?
Before the vaccines were available, I lost three of my friends to COVID, with many sick. After the vaccines were made available, no additional deaths, only minor symptoms from anyone I know.
As to the crazy notion that the healthcare workers got the vaccine because they were forced to or lose their jobs is pure horse crap. I have many members of my family that stepped right up (in December 2020) to get the vax because after working in the ER and ICU’s they themselves didn’t want to be on a ventilator for 4 months. In an induced coma.
I don’t expect anyone else to do nearly as much medical review as I have done to educate myself, but it’s a shame so many people put their faith in Faux News and not even their own doctors. The Faux News talking heads are laughing all the way to the bank as unvaccinated overload the hospitals and die. It is still happening at >2500/day! Nice job, Tucker!