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Vaccine Skepticism Extends Even to Health Workers Fighting Covid

  • Medical personnel swallow misinformation like everyone else
  • Makers say speed to market was the point, not a risk factor
The Covid-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech received emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 11.
The Covid-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech received emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 11.Photographer: Nick Oxford/Bloomberg

In North Carolina and Ohio, most nursing-home employees are declining the Covid-19 vaccine. A Florida physician and a New York City paramedic are saying no. The federal government, which left the states to sort out immunizations, is suggesting pizza parties and raffle prizes as incentives for medical staffs to roll up their sleeves.

Reluctance to get the shot that could end the pandemic goes well beyond anti-vax activists who spout unproven theories on social media. Nurses and firefighters are among those questioning its safety after approval in record time.