A new American Medical Association (AMA) survey of about 300 physicians finds that 96 percent of responding physicians have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
The data also showed that there’s no significant difference in vaccination rates across regions. However, it is worth pointing out that there was a significant difference in vaccination rates among Hispanics (84 percent) and non-Hispanics (97 percent), according to the survey data.
Of the physicians who are not yet vaccinated, an additional 45 percent do plan to get vaccinated. The most common reason for not receiving the vaccine was concern about the vaccine being too new and having unknown long-term effects, the survey revealed.
The exact sample size of the AMA’s research was 301 physicians, with a respondent mix that includes 150 primary care physicians and 151 specialists.
The national AMA survey is the first to specifically collect data on practicing physicians’ COVID-19 vaccination rates, the association’s leaders say. The survey was conducted June 3–8 and showed an increase of more than 20 percent for physicians who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 compared to a May 2021 Medscape poll.
Other research from media companies has been completed on hospital workers’ vaccination rates. The USA Today, for one, recently surveyed some of the largest hospital networks and public hospitals in the country. At the nine networks that responded, fully vaccinated rates ranged from 53 percent to 72 percent. Rates among 15 of the nation’s largest public hospitals ranged from 51 percent to 91 percent, according to that report.
“Practicing physicians across the country are leading by example, with an amazing uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D. “Physicians and clinicians are uniquely positioned to listen to and validate patient concerns, and one of the most powerful anecdotes a physician can offer is that they themselves have been vaccinated. You can take it from your doctor: the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. With COVID-19 vaccines readily available and approved for all people 12 years old and up, we urge you to get vaccinated—take the single most important step you can to protect yourself, your family, and end the COVID-19 pandemic.”
