Why is vaccine uptake so low for care workers?

[Hamilbamil]

1/6th of workers haven't had it despite it being available and being urged to for months! We're at just under 80% take up for the country at large with most under 30s either still waiting or not even able to book yet for the youngest groups. It seems likely that we'll get to 90% without breaking much of a sweat!

I'm puzzled by this apparent correlation between being a care home worker and being anti-vacs. It seems totally bizarre, but there must be a reason.

there is understandable vaccine hesitancy among some ethnic minorities who make up a large proportion of care workers

it also tends to correlate with lower SES/education which would also explain the difference between uptake in this group and the general pop

My sil who works as a carer was reluctant to have it as she "didn't want to be a guinea pig" 🙄

No idea. You'd think to get into being a carer (because it's obviously not for the money) you'd at least care about the people you're with, and about your own health.

My guess would be lots of young females in this workforce who are concerned about TTC. Not that I agree before someone shoots me! Just saying I think that is a big reason for many refusers in this sector.

And ethnic minority factors as mentioned by PP also very significant

@speckledostrichegg

there is understandable vaccine hesitancy among some ethnic minorities who make up a large proportion of care workers

it also tends to correlate with lower SES/education which would also explain the difference between uptake in this group and the general pop

Why is the hesitancy understandable in ethnic minorities?

Because they are young, female and there are serious questions about its long term safety.

There are thousands of women alleging long term menstrual changes post vaccine. Thousands - but the NHS tells them it’s not connected

There has been a couple of care workers on threads that have mentioned TTC, it must be worrying to read other threads, there have been several about period problems after vaccination.

@RuggerHug

No idea. You'd think to get into being a carer (because it's obviously not for the money) you'd at least care about the people you're with, and about your own health.

What a horrible attitude.

Lack of education and critical thinking? I'd expect take up to be highest in the most educated/highest socio economic groups.

@crinklyfoil

What a horrible attitude.

Not sure what's so horrible about @RuggerHug 's attitude. It seems a perfectly reasonable opinion.

Why is the hesitancy understandable in ethnic minorities?

I was wondering this too.

It's nothing to do with being uneducated. That's absolutely ridiculous. Someone I know who works extremely high up in the criminal agency isn't having theirs due to infertility issues with the vaccine.
Not everyone who doesn't want the vaccine is a fucking gammon thank you very much.

Where did you get that figure from? In Scotland it looks like uptake is really high in care home workers and other health care staff.

www.travellingtabby.com/scotland-coronavirus-tracker/

It is a horrible attitude to expect people - primarily women - to do a job and not be paid fairly for it.

Lack of education and critical thinking, sadly.

I work in a children's care home but I'm also 10 weeks pregnant. Yes I will be getting the vaccine but I'm also waiting till the second trimester. Most of my colleagues have been vaccinated

@MissCrowley

It's nothing to do with being uneducated. That's absolutely ridiculous. Someone I know who works extremely high up in the criminal agency isn't having theirs due to infertility issues with the vaccine. Not everyone who doesn't want the vaccine is a fucking gammon thank you very much.

There’s no link between a vaccination and infertility. It’s utter nonsense so anyone who refuses it for that reason is a ‘gammon’.

What is a gammon

Is gammon a new word for chav

Maybe more likely to have had Covid, maybe more than once, and better the devil you know? I'm not worried about getting Covid for a third time but the vaccine is an unknown for me and I am very anxious.

@crinklyfoil

It is a horrible attitude to expect people - primarily women - to do a job and not be paid fairly for it.

That isn't what I meant by that. I meant people who go into care work are more likely to be genuinely caring and want to do the work, it's not a profession that someone will go into to get rich. Believe me I think carers are worth way more than they are valued and deserve a lot more.

Hesitancy in ethnic minorities is probably linked to a long history of mistrust of the medical establishment. Both in relation to poor care and testing.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/black-people-have-a-long-history-of-poor-medical-treatment-no-wonder-many-are-hesitant-to-take-covid-vaccines-150214

The issue with minorities goes back to a long history of pharmaceutical companies and government agencies experimenting on them. Eg pretending that a population of black men were being treated for STDs but in fact the experiment was to see what happened when they were allowed to run through the population

Fair enough rugger but I think it’s a bit naive to think that they will go into it for purely altruistic reasons.

I don’t think it’s right at all to have dreadful working conditions, minimum wage and then excuse it on the grounds that people are ‘caring’. I’m not saying you were doing this but it is how care workers have been shat on for so long.

And now this - any objections and they ‘don’t care’ about the patients.