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.

@Mrstumblesspottyface

That head tilt though 🤦‍♀️. I’ve had the same.

[quote Chillychangchoo]@Mrstumblesspottyface

That head tilt though 🤦‍♀️. I’ve had the same.[/quote]
It’s infuriating. My friend is a childminder and gets the same thing.

So patronising.

I’ve also been told “don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get to where you want to be one day.”

It is bizarre, the apparent assumption that some people hold that working in any type of caring role is reserved for people of low intelligence and/or low educational attainment. No wonder we have a crisis in care, given the way caring is perceived as a role for people who can’t find anything better, in a society that rates people by their academic qualifications and pay packets.

@Mrstumblesspottyface

Yep, nodding away. It’s hard to have professional pride when you know what people think of the job. I guess it shouldn’t matter but it is partly why I’m moving on. I feel like I’ve wasted my degree in health and social care by going in at this level. When in actual fact it’s “this level” that gets the opportunity to make a colossal difference in people’s lives. Quite a few social workers are so far removed from the realities of every day life in these homes and supported living schemes, and the service users themselves will cite support workers as their main network.

I am in no way dissing social workers, their jobs are incredibly stressful, I just don’t know what the answer is here. These roles need to be invested in to make them into viable careers with pay that reflects the job.

I’ve had previous jobs in the sector with lots more pay and I absolutely haven’t worked as hard.

My friend who works in a care home mentioned this last night. They do have quite a few unvaccinated and they're all young women concerned about fertility.

I should also say my friend, who works in the care home, is one of the people I respect most in the entire world. She loves her job and her "oldies", talks of them with genuine affection and nothing is too much trouble for her. All for minimun wage

The NHS clinicians I know who havent had the vaccine are also all women who are either TTC, pregnant, breastfeeding or concerned about fertility.

I posted this on the thread in AIBU. Nothing to do with general intelligence but a lack of knowledge of the vaccine is a key predictor of vaccine hesitancy/refusal

www.esri.ie/publications/a-lack-of-perceived-benefits-and-a-gap-in-knowledge-distinguish-the-vaccine-hesitant

Or listen here: www.newstalk.com/podcasts/highlights-from-the-hard-shoulder/people-that-are-hesitant-of-the-vaccine-were-unable-to-list-the-benefits

“ Participants in the study completed a series of tasks designed to find out what they think about the vaccine, how much they know about it, what they see as the greatest risks and benefits, and whether they plan to take it.

A multiple choice quiz asked them questions on what they knew about the effectiveness of the jab, the development process, possible side effects and cost.

The minority of participants planning not to take the vaccine, or who were unsure, scored substantially more poorly on the quiz than the majority planning to take it.

Those planning to take the vaccine got an average score of 67 per cent, compared with 50 per cent for those who were unsure and just 37 per cent for those planning not to take it.

Participants were also asked to list their thoughts about the risks and benefits of the vaccine.

Most people listed at least one risk, but there was a big difference in the listing of benefits.

Only five per cent of those planning not to take the vaccine and around 50 per cent of those who were unsure listed any benefit at all. This compared with 91 per cent of people planning to take it.”

I’m finding the inability of a number of posters on this thread to see nuance in the issues and arguments, exactly support the point about limits to critical thinking.

No-one has said EVERY worker in social care is of low education or that any INDIVIDUAL on this thread is of low education, or low level critical thinking skills or low literacy or superstitious or subject to mis-trust in authority or any of the other reasons why people are hesitant to be vaccinated.

People have pointed out that these are COMMON atttributes amongst those working in many areas of social care. The recognition of these attributes is not an insult to any individual care worker on this thread or in society nor to care workers as a wider group. Information can apply to large proportions of a group and simply be factual. It can apply to large proportions of the group without applying to all. Some workers in social care will also be highly educated and have extremely high levels of literacy or critical thinking too. ALL of these things can be true at once and the fact people can’t see the nuance in the situation or in what is being said, suggests an ability to only see things in very simplistic black and white terms and not to be able to read what is actually being said.

Social care workers who do the bulk of the day to day caring for adults are OFTEN (note I don’t say always) low paid and have low levels of formal education. The jobs have poor conditions and low pay and therefore don’t tend to attract large numbers of people who could work in easier, more pleasant environments and earn more. It is simple Demand and Supply in the labour market. These workers are the bedrock of the system and without them, lots of adults wouldn’t receive the care they need....they deserve appreciation and recognition for what they do, but this does not change the reality that they are also likely to be less formally educated and this is correlated with low vaccine take-up.

So people need to think a bit more before responding huffily and saying people are saying care workers are expendable or considered stupid. This is a thread about why people don’t take up the offer of a vaccine. The characteristics of MOST (again not all) not all care workers explain this. They are simply realities and not insults.

Lack of trust in authority, reliance on non-official sources of information are related to disadvantage in the last and currently. Certain groups are more likely to be disadvantaged than others. It is disadvantage that leads to attitudes which might turn down the jab. And again, not all those in care work are against the jab, nor mistrustful of authority or reliant on non-official sources of information, nor of limited formal education, nor from disadvantaged groups. However, significant proportions are.

Lack of education and critical thinking, sadly

You are wrong.

Part of my job entails asking people if they have had the covid vaccine.
Leaving aside the more ‘vocal’ anti vaccine people, more women are not availing of it for reasons already mentioned on the thread.

@AutoGroup

My friend who works in a care home mentioned this last night. They do have quite a few unvaccinated and they're all young women concerned about fertility.

my point exactly. There is no biologically plausible mechanism for the vaccine to affect fertility and plenty of information out there about this. So not having the vaccine due to concerns about fertility = lack of critical thinking ability.

@timetickson

Blimey...I'm speechless at this thread. I'm a care assistant. Thanks for calling me uneducated and lacking in critical thinking skills. I have a degree and a post graduate qualification and don't consider myself, or any of my colleagues, uneducated. Most of my colleagues have qualifications in care - I don't, so they are more qualified than me. I work in a care home because I love it. I've had both vaccinations and so have all the staff at the home I work in. Nice to know how you're actually viewed by society.

you've had both jabs so no-one is debating your critical thinking skills. we are talking about those who turn it down. Thank you for what you do for those in your care and for being sensible enough to have the vaccine.

@WombatChocolate explained it all perfectly. 👆

The really saddening thing is, that carers having questions and concerns around the vaccine is being seen as due to low education, lack of critical thinking and low socioeconomic status as demonstrated by this and other threads.

We can't even be respected enough to be taken seriously and have genuine concerns about unknown long term effects, not being paid if we have nasty short term effects and have to have time off, concerns around fertility because of the reports of menstrual cycles being affected.

No we're not supposed to be clever enough to read around and weigh up what we want, in our own bodies and balance that against our duty of care.

We just get all our information from Bob over the road who was a hospital porter 20 years ago and Facebook, and we don't really know what we're talking about - and we're not supposed to be offended by that either because it's not nasty or horrible to say it, it's just true. Don't be sad about that little society skivvy.

And if we are offended by it then:

I’m finding the inability of a number of posters on this thread to see nuance in the issues and arguments, exactly support the point about limits to critical thinking.

Apparently, we're just proving their point about who we are 🤷🏼‍♀️ and being patronised.

Yes, I know care workers who lack critical thinking skills, or have had poor education, and believe what they read on social media, but I also know that about other, more respected jobs too.

I've pointed out that there doesn't appear to be a breakdown of figures in the vaccinated Vs unvaccinated, to say why they're not vaccinated, and that there are some very valid reasons why care workers willing to be vaccinated, but are unable to as yet, and are they included in unvaccinated figures and are automatically being assumed as refusing?
I can't find any data on that, someone else may know.

I was told that 'making excuses doesn't help'.

And yes, I'm a vaccinated care worker.

People have pointed out that these are COMMON atttributes amongst those working in many areas of social care. The recognition of these attributes is not an insult to any individual care worker on this thread or in society nor to care workers as a wider group. Information can apply to large proportions of a group and simply be factual. It can apply to large proportions of the group without applying to all. Some workers in social care will also be highly educated and have extremely high levels of literacy or critical thinking too. ALL of these things can be true at once and the fact people can’t see the nuance in the situation or in what is being said, suggests an ability to only see things in very simplistic black and white terms and not to be able to read what is actually being said.

I think you’ll actually find if you re read the thread that posters have been responding to and rebutting statements that have been absolute, precisely because others have not recognised that the situation is nuanced. Correlation doesn’t always equal causation either.

There have been been some dismissive, prejudiced and ill informed views expressed about the education levels and ‘critical thinking skills’ of care workers.

Continuing a conversation on Mumsnet about how society perceives care workers is not black and white thinking, it’s discussion.

This thread has been interesting to read, and I now wonder if there are any statistics published about the uptake of the vaccine of women of childbearing within the general population?

@AutoGroup

My friend who works in a care home mentioned this last night. They do have quite a few unvaccinated and they're all young women concerned about fertility.

Case in point about lack of knowledge contributing to vaccine hesitancy/ vaccine avoidance.

The fertility thing originated with a conspiracy theory that the vaccine was aimed at mass sterilisation of the west. Now it’s trickled down and you’ve young women avoiding the vaccine on the basis of fertility when there is literally no mechanism by which it can impact fertility and when multiple top people in this field have come out and explicitly said it’s safe for those ttc

The fertility thing originated with a conspiracy theory that the vaccine was aimed at mass sterilisation of the west. Now it’s trickled down and you’ve young women avoiding the vaccine on the basis of fertility when there is literally no mechanism by which it can impact fertility and when multiple top people in this field have come out and explicitly said it’s safe for those ttc

I'm well past the age to be affected and haven't done any real reading about it, but the vaccine absolutely did affect my periods, which is apparently a known side effect, so it must have some effect on fertility, if not long term.

Sorry @AutoGroup but this is exactly what I mean about a lack of knowledge. You are equating your period with your fertility. Your period is the shedding of your uterine lining which can be impacted by stress/illness/vaccine and other environmental factors.

Your fertility is based on a myriad of factors - notably your ovarian reserve, your Antral follicle count, your hormone levels, your egg quality which is linked to your age, your uterine lining and environment including micro flora and bacteria, tubal patency and others. None of which are impacted by the vaccine.

@AutoGroup

The fertility thing originated with a conspiracy theory that the vaccine was aimed at mass sterilisation of the west. Now it’s trickled down and you’ve young women avoiding the vaccine on the basis of fertility when there is literally no mechanism by which it can impact fertility and when multiple top people in this field have come out and explicitly said it’s safe for those ttc

I'm well past the age to be affected and haven't done any real reading about it, but the vaccine absolutely did affect my periods, which is apparently a known side effect, so it must have some effect on fertility, if not long term.

changes in menstruation do not equate to changes in fertility

A proper seed about fertility has been well and truly sown now though

Because care workers are the devil and they want all the people they ‘care’ for to die a horrible death… they’re overpaid, underworked and treated far too nicely! Shame on them for wanting a choice about what goes in their bodies. Selfish pricks! Let’s make yet another thread bashing them!

It must have changed my ability to conceive that month? I had a very short cycle, so was bleeding when I would usually be fertile. If I was actually wanting to conceive I'd have done so proper research obviously, but I understand why some people would have concerns.

Changes in menstruation can affect fertility short term though and possibly longer if the changes are longer lasting.

@baldafrique

A proper seed about fertility has been well and truly sown now though

It was already there, even without the menstrual cycle symptoms associated with AZ. We saw how people jumped on the statement regarding fertility in the pfizer information leaflet.

Historically this has always been something anti-vaxxers claim is due to/deliberately caused by vaccines, it really damaged the uptake of polio vaccination in Nigeria

@AutoGroup

It must have changed my ability to conceive that month? I had a very short cycle, so was bleeding when I would usually be fertile. If I was actually wanting to conceive I'd have done so proper research obviously, but I understand why some people would have concerns.

Unfortunately people have concerns because they don’t have any knowledge of fertility or the vaccine and for some reason won’t listen to those who are experts who say there is no impact on fertility.

Maybe you ovulated early that month hence bleeding early so if you’d been having sex for your full cycle it wouldn’t have impacted on your ability to conceive. Or maybe you didn’t ovulate that month so yes you wouldn’t get pregnant that month but your fertility is unaffected.

I presume you’ve had an unusual menstrual cycle before? Did you panic then about your fertility and how on the basis of that one period you’d not be able to have children? Did you rush to the Gp saying your early/late cycle has made you infertile? Highly unlikely yet for the vaccine people are making that leap - and it’s due to their lack of knowledge and understanding of the vaccine or indeed their own fertility. Environmental factors such as getting a vaccine can impact your period. It’s nothing to do with your fertility.