COVID Vaccine Booster Take Up Extremely Low Among Care Workers: Report

A resident receives a dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine at the Belong Wigan care home in Wigan, northwest England, on Jan. 21, 2021. Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Between two to five per cent of staff in all care homes have taken a COVID-19 vaccine booster this year, according to official figures.

Despite more than 12,000 care homes having been visited by the NHS’s vaccine rollout programme, representing over 80 percent of all care homes to date, the number of care home workers that received a COVID booster remains extremely low.

In September, the government announced that NHS COVID vaccinations would have to start early following advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) due to the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant.

The programme targeted older adult care homes and housebound people, social care staff, and carers, as well as pregnant women and adults aged over 65.

According to official statistics from the Department of Health and Social Care released at the beginning of Nov., as of the week ending 15 October, 4.2 percent of total staff of older adult care homes received an autumn booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The figures are also low for other staff. Only 3.2 percent of total staff of younger adult care homes and 2.3 percent of all domiciliary care staff took COVID jabs.

When asked why she thought the numbers were so low, diagnostic pathologist Clare Craig told The Epoch Times that care workers “tend to be young.”

“They know they’re not at risk of hospitalisations and death, and so they don’t want to take the risk,” she added.

Staff Shortages Vaccine Mandate

British care homes are currently facing a staffing crisis, in part because thousands of care workers fired for refusing to take a mandatory jab chose not to return to work.

In Nov. 2021, all care home workers and anyone entering a care home legally had to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they had a medical exemption. Subsequently, thousands of care home staff lost their jobs as the mandatory jab deadline passed. Vaccination as a condition of deployment ended on the 15 March 2022.

At the time, it was warned such a policy for care workers would cause unknown staff shortages. However, the government said that there were to be “unquantified benefits” from the mandate, which it believed were “fairly substantial and long-lasting.”

However, a recent study found that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in English care homes led to fewer staff but may not have reduced resident deaths.

Low Take Up

Earlier this month, authorities urged more to take up flu and COVID vaccines.

11.7 million have had the flu vaccine, and 8.6 million people have taken up the offer of a COVID-19 booster.

Figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) wanted 30 million people to come and get the flu jab and 21.5 million to get the COVID vaccine.

Dr. Mary Ramsay, director of immunisation at UKHSA, said: “As the weather turns colder, respiratory viruses spread more easily and usually reach their peak over the festive and new year period.

“For those most vulnerable, both flu and COVID-19 can cause severe illness, often hospitalisation.

“Nobody wants to miss out on the festive celebrations with their friends and family this winter, and the vaccines provide the best possible protection.

“I urge all those eligible to join the millions of others who have taken up their free vaccine offer to get winter strong—don’t put it off, book your appointment today and arm yourself against the risk of severe illness.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email:

“We have made excellent progress with more than 18 million people jabbed so far, but we must not be complacent.

“We know how important social contact is for those who receive care, and it is vital both care workers and residents who are eligible get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect each other this winter.”

PA Media contributed to this report.