#COVIDDispatch – Resistance to COVID-19 vaccine an impediment to beating back Delta

Vaccine hesitancy has been identified as one of the major obstacles to the country’s successful emergence from the deadly Delta wave of COVID-19.

Despite the underwhelming uptake of the wide range of vaccines available, Government has been reluctant to implement mandatory vaccination in the workplace and other public spaces.

But medical practitioners are warning that the laid back approach could have severe consequences for society, when the hesitancy extends to healthcare workers operating in a system overwhelmed with illness.

On September 29, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Kenneth George did not provide specifics on the number of vaccinated workers in the public health system. Instead, he disclosed that vaccine uptake in nursing homes, among both staff and clients, is between 70 and 80 per cent.

At the Psychiatric Hospital, the percentage of fully vaccinated people is between 56 and 60 per cent, and that also includes both staff and patients.

The numbers we know

Isolation Facilities Manager Dr Corey Forde revealed that over a month ago, the number of fully vaccinated staff stood at 64 per cent. But that rate has declined, as the rising cases required more workers, many of whom are still not vaccinated, to be brought in.

When asked about the benefits of a mandatory regime throughout the healthcare sector, Dr George pointed out that such determinations are made at a slightly higher level. He admitted, however, that risks associated with low numbers are significant.

“Persons who are taking care of vulnerable people in our hospitals should be vaccinated, and I believe the hospital is specifically addressing this issue, because in certain situations we must have cooperation with the public with respect to having higher numbers,” Dr George told COVID Dispatch. 

Dr Forde, meantime, was adamant that the decision to take the vaccine should always be a choice and that he would always favour education over more forceful measures.

 BAMP’s perspective

The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) has made no secret of its position that people working in healthcare should be required to take the vaccine.

President Dr Lynda Williams, in an interview with COVID Dispatch, outlined three reasons for the medical practitioners’ position.

The first is to protect vulnerable patients in the same way they are protected from hepatitis B, chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella and other diseases through the vaccination process.

Dr Williams contended that this is already a requirement for healthcare workers whether they are working in Barbados or abroad.

“The precedent is already there, so the same principle applies. We have nurses, for example, that move between geriatric hospitals, nursing homes and even private care. So, they are going between many different places and therefore they should protect people under their care,” Dr Williams explained.

“EMTs – the people who move you to the hospitals and transport you in the ambulance – if they are not vaccinated, there are implications for you when you are at your most vulnerable,” she warned.

Another reason for BAMP’s position is the country’s strained healthcare resources, with a limited number of doctors, nurses, lab technicians and others.

“All of those people who are highly trained and highly skilled in the healthcare field, we have a limited number of those. And if we are in a pandemic they are being exposed to patients who are coming in, people who are unvaccinated that are coming in, that we have to deal with. If we lose our skilled personnel, we often do not have persons to replace them with,” said Dr Williams.

The final reason is to show leadership at a time of distrust of modern medicine and proven medical interventions.

“One doctor or one nurse casting doubt on a proven medical intervention has more weight than an ordinary member of the public. We have a responsibility to show in the public sphere, and that is another reason for us to be the leaders. Obviously, we’re still human, we’re still people, we still have our doubts and our fears just like everyone else. But we have access to the information, access to journals and a greater body of knowledge,” stressed the BAMP president.

 An independent perspective

 For an independent perspective, COVID Dispatch spoke with United Kingdom-based virologist Dr Brendan Larder who believes vaccine uptake between 60 to 80 per cent throughout the sector is a positive sign, given that it is above the national numbers.

Nonetheless, he lamented the unnecessary risk posed to unvaccinated workers and stressed that UK precedents had been set for the imposition of vaccine mandates in healthcare settings, particularly for those working closely with the elderly.

“You, undoubtedly, could prevent workers from becoming severely ill if they are infected, and prevent them from being off work for a long time. So, that’s a very positive thing from their own perspective, and they would be less likely, if vaccinated, to become infected,” Dr Larder explained.

This article appears in the October 8 edition of COVID Dispatch. Read the full publication here.