COVID-19 boosters use among health workers is down to 1in 6.

Years later, there is still controversy about the COVID-19 Vaccine mandate, that Joe Biden mandate expired in June of 2023 and a recent survey revealed that only one in six healthcare workers are receiving the COVID-19 boosters. 

Full disclosure. I have been keeping up on my COVID-19 boosters, although the most recent one I still have not taken yet. I'll be doing that later this month, and I can say with some certainty that I have never contracted the COVID-19 virus and to be honest, I feel very lucky, although I've had a few people in my immediate family wind up with COVID-19 in the last couple of years, happily, the effects have been minimal. I believe in part because of their use of the vaccine and boosters. 

I also have friends who have lost relatives to the COVID-19 virus in the last year, and I feel that is tragic. 

But what about our healthcare workers? 

According to axios.com,
‘The CDC study found 15.3% of workers in 4,112 acute care hospitals got boosted in 2023-2024, with rates lowest among licensed independent practitioners. Vaccination coverage was 10.5% overall among workers in more than 14,000 nursing homes.
Flu vaccination rates for the same period were 80.7% at acute care hospitals and 45.4% at nursing homes.’ 

Something that I find especially interesting is that CDC vaccine advisors recommend that all health workers get a flu shot, but those recommendations don't occur when discussing COVID-19. Boosters other than individual workplace policies or promotions. 

Should our public and private health care workers be required to take the COVID 19 vaccine and boosters?  

Three years ago, I would have said yes. Now I'm not so sure. 

Less than 1 in 6 health workers got COVID booster
Health systems' trouble with vaccine mandates
Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel – United States, 2023-24 Influenza Season | FluVaxView | CDC