A majority of workers in Florida's long-term care facilities and nursing homes still had not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 22, according to state numbers.
That's not only a startling fact, it's a scary one, too. These are the people in charge of caring for some of the state's most vulnerable citizens, and Florida has already lost more than 10,000 residents and staff members to COVID-19 in assisted-living facilities and nursing homes.
The enormous relief when those facilities finally were able to vaccinate residents was palpable. Why, then, have only 35% of nursing home workers and 42% of long-term care workers — according to numbers provided to the Editorial Board by the state Agency for Health Care Administration — gotten the life-saving vaccine themselves?
It's irresponsible. It runs counter to compassion. And it has to change, quickly.
The dangers, to the facilities' elderly residents, and to society at large, are real. The virus is mutating. The longer it takes to get most people vaccinated, the more chances the virus has to change, perhaps to a point where vaccines don't work fully — or at all.
And people who have been vaccinated can still get the disease — though it is usually much milder — from others.
In March, an outbreak in a Kentucky nursing home was traced to an unvaccinated worker, resulting in dozens of infections, including 22 among people who were fully vaccinated. One vaccinated and two unvaccinated residents died.
How do workers justify potentially bringing that risk through the door of an assisted-living facility each time they go to work? These workers must come into close contact with residents to help with daily tasks such as dressing and bathing. Masks work, but one slip-up can be enough. Some of the variants are more transmissible than before.
Employers should step up. Nationally, some companies already are. Atria Senior Living said all staff members must be vaccinated by May 1. But Florida companies have mostly shied away from requiring vaccines, in part because they say they don't want to drive away qualified workers.
And there is broader debate over whether a requirement can or should be imposed while the vaccines are still administered under an emergency-use authorization, or EUA, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Meantime, some companies are turning to bonuses or education to overcome hesitancy. For example, LeadingAge Florida, an association representing about 250 long-term care facilities, is hosting calls for members about the science and safety behind the shots., according to Nick Van Der Linden, a spokesman for the association. Another facility, in Naples, produced a video in which residents who've gotten the shots encourage staffers to sign up, too. These are all good starts.
In a political environment where the most basic scientific concepts have been the subject of wild attacks from the highest levels, it's understandable that some people are filled with doubt. Just a year ago, then-President Trump, incredibly, encouraged health officials to look into whether injecting bleach into humans could fight COVID-19.
But at last count, 218 million doses of vaccine had been administered in the United States alone. Doctors continue to say that the risk of getting COVID-19 is far greater than having any potential side effects from the vaccine. Those who work in healthcare have a responsibility and a duty to educate themselves on the vaccines. And then get the shot.
