Nurses are pro-COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, survey finds

The vast majority of nurses not only support COVID-19 vaccines, but most also back healthcare worker vaccine mandates, according to the findings of a new survey conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

The ANA poll, part of its COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses education campaign, found that 88% of the 4,900 nurses surveyed were vaccinated or planned to get vaccinated and that 79% felt comfortable discussing vaccines and educating patients.

According to the survey, 59% of nurses support vaccines mandates in the workplace, while another 12% are in favor of vaccinate mandates for customer-facing employees only.

A growing number healthcare providers and governments agencies in states like California, New Mexico and New York are mandating COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers as the Delta variant spreads and unvaccinated children prepare to head back to school. Unions representing nurses are divided on mandates.

"Nurses' knowledge, coupled with their frontline experience caring for those with COVID-19 over the past 16 months, is evident by these survey findings," Grant said. "By getting vaccinated themselves, supporting vaccine mandates and ensuring that their patients have the most accurate and reliable information possible about the COVID-19 vaccines, nurses nationwide are fulfilling their professional and ethical obligations. We continue to urge the public to follow nurses' example and get vaccinated to reduce the risk of further hospitalizations and deaths to end this pandemic."

More than 8 in 10 nurses responded that they were willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster, if recommended. To date, the Food and Drug Administration has only granted temporary authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine booster shots for certain immunocompromised individuals, although media reports indicate those guidelines will broaden soon.

"Nurses are highly skilled and knowledgeable health care providers, scientists and researchers, so they understand the rigor and effort behind developing the COVID-19 vaccines," ANA President Ernest Grant said in a news release.

The ANA and allied organizations launched the COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses campaign in March.