Wow, that was an adrenaline rush! COVID vaccine scheduling for my parents

[PZMommy]

And on top of that, we were at DD's cardiologist this week (small practice) and some of the HCPs in that office STILL had not been vaccinated. Something is wrong when healthcare providers are still struggling to find available vaccine.

Everyone that's a part of a big hospital system seems to be better off, patients included.

In LA county we still have 500,000 health care workers waiting to get vaccinated. They aren’t vaccinating any seniors yet except those that live in skilled nursing facilities.

[California]

My mom and stepdad just got their first vaccine today! Stepdad somehow got involved with staffing a vaccine distribution in their small town, and in return for his help they both were vaccinated. They are so happy! They have had a really tough time during this pandemic. My mom's been dealing with multiple health issues. This will be one less thing she has to worry about when she goes back in for surgery. And, all my extended family who work in hospitals have all gotten their first vaccination at this point! The stats for medical professionals turning down the vaccination is quite high in SoCal. We had some interesting discussions about this as they weren't worried about getting it at all, but decided to get the vaccination anyway- which made the older members in our family very happy.

[PZMommy]

My mom and stepdad just got their first vaccine today! Stepdad somehow got involved with staffing a vaccine distribution in their small town, and in return for his help they both were vaccinated. They are so happy! They have had a really tough time during this pandemic. My mom's been dealing with multiple health issues. This will be one less thing she has to worry about when she goes back in for surgery. And, all my extended family who work in hospitals have all gotten their first vaccination at this point! The stats for medical professionals turning down the vaccination is quite high in SoCal. We had some interesting discussions about this as they weren't worried about getting it at all, but decided to get the vaccination anyway- which made the older members in our family very happy.

I read 40% are turning it down. Why do you think the number is this high?

[gatorsmom]

I read 40% are turning it down. Why do you think the number is this high?

Do you mean 40% of healthcare professionals in California are refusing the vaccine?

[PZMommy]

Do you mean 40% of healthcare professionals in California are refusing the vaccine?

Yes. That is the number that the public health director quoted this week. Even with all of them turning it down, we still can't get all of the healthcare workers vaccinated out here.

[California]

If you search 'healthcare workers turn down vaccine' (or similar) you'll see this is happening across the country. https://www.businessinsider.com/covi...accines-2021-1

PZMommy, I am not sure why healthcare workers are refusing the vaccination. I know with my own relatives it was not at all politically motivated. In one article I read about SoCal specifically, the healthcare professional they interviewed said healthcare professionals didn't trust big Pharma, didn't want to get an experimental vaccine with no long term data, and, some felt it was highly likely that they had already had asymptomatic cases. I think my relatives felt like over the past ten months it was highly likely that they'd been exposed and might have had either asymptomatic cases, or are resistant to it. Hospitals are not regularly testing staff. They've worked closely with fellow staff and patients with mild symptoms who later tested positive, and have never been asked to quarantine. This is their everyday work environment in big hospitals.

PZMommy, like you, I'm teaching remotely. Three of my students' families have tested positive for Covid and all had asymptomatic or very mild cases. One grandparent had to go to the hospital (and made it through.) I know my relatives who work in medicine get called by every worried friend/relative who tests positive and so far everyone their age or younger has gotten through it just fine. My closest relative who's been working directly with Covid patients (so there's no worry of passing Covid on to them because they already have it) is a very healthy 30 something year old and wished they could allot their vaccine to a high risk senior who needs it more. Which brings us back to the OP- very grateful that our high risk relatives are starting to be able to get the vaccine!

[PZMommy]

That makes sense. Those are some of my concerns. What if they discover a few years down the road that an ingredient in the vaccine causes cancer, or some other issue? It took me years before I got the flu shot, and then it was only because my youngest is high risk. On my local teacher FB page, it seems pretty split vs the ones want it immediately, those that don't want it at all, and then those like me who are somewhere in the middle.

I transferred schools in October and am currently at a very affluent school. None of my students have gotten covid. Parents are mostly working from home, although I do have a few that are doctors, so they are obviously not working from home. At my prior school I had quite a few families that had gotten covid, but it was a much different demographic.

I figure at the rate LA is going, it will be a few months before I'm able to get the vaccine, so maybe by then I will feel more comfortable about it. I do agree that seniors and those with health risks should be the first to get it. I think my district will be remote the remainder of the year, so I don't see why we need to rush to the front of the line.