A poll conducted by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said a large number of healthcare workers, including most nurses, were reluctant to take COVID-19 vaccines because of fears of side effects, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Many critical questions remain,” said PHAC in a report. “Fifty-nine percent of healthcare workers reported some degree of hesitancy in their decision to get vaccinated.” PHAC found 31% of doctors and 54% of nurses had some level of vaccine hesitancy. “You had to get them to keep your job,” said one healthcare worker. Another healthcare worker called the COVID-19 vaccines “developed in a matter of a couple of months and handed out like candy.” Because of family and a mortgage, a third healthcare worker asked what he would do to make the same amount of money.Despite reluctance, it said 89% of healthcare workers were vaccinated, fearing job loss.“Vaccine mandates were one of the most commonly reported reasons for getting vaccinated among respondents, with a high proportion of nurses indicating it was the sole reason for vaccination,” it said.While most healthcare workers took COVID-19 vaccines, 8% refused them. The top reason they gave for not getting vaccinated was concerns about the long-term side effects (87%). After concerns about the long-term side effects was rejection of vaccine mandates (72%). This was followed by lack of confidence in Canada’s regulatory system (64%), the impact of COVID-19 infection being exaggerated (52%), and religious or spiritual reasons (45%). “The prospect of losing their employment played a role in their decision to get vaccinated or not,” it said. “They expressed significant hesitation towards COVID-19 vaccines due to the speed of vaccine development and their perception of the potential for side effects.”Canadian healthcare workers, especially nurses and paramedics, had high rates of vaccine hesitancy, according to a 2022 study conducted by the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). READ MORE: Healthcare workers were "most likely" to experience vaccine hesitancy“Healthcare workers were among those who were most likely to express vaccine hesitancy early in the pandemic,” said the CMAJ. The issue was timely because the Canadian government had been promoting booster shots. Findings were based on questionnaires with 5,372 healthcare workers nationwide and 33 focus groups. PHAC paid Ipsos $295,580 for the study.
