More than a fifth of NHS healthcare workers in England had not yet received their first dose of Covid vaccine a week ago, the Spectator can appear, because healers persuaded their colleagues to take one as soon as possible.
The government has said all healthcare workers have been offered an injection, but new figures released by NHS England show that only 77% of the 1.4 million healthcare workers have been vaccinated by 20 February. However, that figure appears to have risen even more over the past week. The figure also tends to be higher for those working directly with Covid patients, but direct data are not currently available.
In a powerful message to members, Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association, urged all doctors to get vaccinated as he warned of potential gaps in coverage. “After the most challenging year most have ever experienced, when they have seen countless patients – and in many cases, friends and colleagues – suffer and die with Covid- 19, doctors as much as anyone want the vaccination program to be successful. , and they want to protect themselves and patients by getting the vaccine, ”he said. “Thousands of healthcare workers around the world have already died during the pandemic, and we urge all members and their wider colleagues. accept vaccines when offered, unless they have a valid medical reason not to do so.
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“Fortunately, according to recent BMA studies, acceptance has been very high among doctors, with 96% telling us that they have now received at least one dose. However, we note that other research suggests gaps in coverage among health care workers, particularly those from some minority ethnic backgrounds. This is particularly worrying, given the devastating and disproportionate impact Covid-19 has had on minority ethnic healthcare workers – with nearly nine out of 10 doctors who have died from Covid-19 since BAME communities. ”
While 23% of healthcare workers are registered as requiring the first dose of vaccine, the new official figures reduce concerns about the level of vaccination among NHS staff who have been vaccinated. taken by recent research. The research, covering staff at Leicester University Hospitals NHS Trust between December and early February, found that 12,278 people out of a total of 19,044 had been injected since it was offered. It was highest among those in administrative and executive positions, and doctors had the lowest vaccination rate at 57%. The study also identified lower uptake among workers under the age of 30. They made up 18.7% of the vaccine group and 31.7% in the non-vaccine group.
It found that 70.9% of white workers had received the vaccine, compared to 58.5% of South Asian workers and 36.8% of black workers. Although the reasons for the difference are not clear, health figures have suggested that one of the main reasons for the difference may be the invisible and variable hours of young doctors and nursing staff. differentiation, making it more difficult for them to conduct vaccination meetings.
Nagpaul said it would be wrong to draw “unfair conclusions” as to why vaccine uptake appears to be lower among some groups. He urged employers to “work to understand and address the root causes of any gaps in vaccine coverage, ensuring that they do all they can to protect all employees. reach – including bank and locum doctors, who tend to feel excluded from workplace programs. ” .
Key figures, including England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty, have urged all health and social care workers to get the vaccine when it is offered. There have also been suggestions that doctors may refuse disciplinary action for no good reason. Whitty recently told doctors and care staff that they had a “professional responsibility” to get vaccinated. He spoke out after official data showed that only 52% of staff in care homes for the elderly in London have been vaccinated. Ministers have said there is a problem with appointments as part of the problem.
The government is keen to avoid mandatory vaccinations for any group, fearing it could exacerbate the problem among those who are already opposed to the idea. However, some care organizations are looking at making vaccines a condition of employment and there are no plans to stop them.