It is proving difficult to encourage care workers to take the flu vaccine due to myths on social media, the chief executive of the Independent Health Care Providers has said.<\/p>\n
Pauline Shepherd said providers were trying everything to boost uptake of the vaccine among workers – but that social media played a big part in fuelling misinformation.<\/p>\n
Several care homes in Northern Ireland have advised families not to visit loved ones as they attempt to protect residents from the current outbreak of the flu virus.<\/p>\n
“Vaccination levels across care homes are similar to that across the whole of the health system and the whole of the population,” Ms Shepherd said.<\/p>\n
“I think it is a general reaction to Covid – the population in general is not that keen on being vaccinated – so I don’t think care home staff are any different to anybody else in the general population.<\/p>\n
“We have continually advised staff and tried to encourage staff – but it is very difficult to bust some of the myths that are out there about vaccinations.”<\/p>\n
She said social media “plays a big part” in influencing people about vaccinations, so “unfortunately we are struggling to try and encourage people”.<\/p>\n
Almost 80% of care home residents have been vaccinated but the BBC understands there has not been the same take up among the workforce.<\/p>\n
‘As safe as possible’<\/p>\n
Ms Shepherd said workers were under pressure, but care homes were managing any outbreaks and trying to keep as many people away from hospitals as possible<\/p>\n
However, she said this was being made difficult by staff absences.<\/p>\n
Following news that two care homes had yet to roll-out their vaccination programmes to residents, she said this was the first she had heard of it and she wasn’t aware of the reasons why.<\/p>\n
She said all their providers were communicated with and linked with a pharmacy.<\/p>\n
“I’m not sure how two were missed,” Ms Shepherd said.<\/p>\n
“Mitigations will be in place in terms of guidance in terms of face masks – if there are outbreaks the normal infection controls will kick in – so they will have taken a course of action to keep residents as safe as possible”.<\/p>\n