Many police officers spurn coronavirus vaccines as departments hold off on mandates.

[RKP5637]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/05/02/police-low-vaccination-rates-safety-concerns/

Police officers were among the first front-line workers to gain priority access to coronavirus vaccines. But their vaccination rates are lower than or about the same as those of the general public, according to data made available by some of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies.

The reluctance of police to get the shots threatens not just their own health, but also the safety of people they’re responsible for guarding, monitoring and patrolling, experts say.

At the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, just 39 percent of employees have gotten at least one dose, officials said, compared to more than 50 percent of eligible adults nationwide. In Atlanta, 36 percent of sworn officers have been vaccinated. And a mere 28 percent of those employed by the Columbus Division of Police — Ohio’s largest police department — report having received a shot.

“I think it’s unacceptable,” Joe Lombardo, the head of Las Vegas police and sheriff of Clark County, said of the meager demand for the shots within his force.

The numbers paint a troubling picture of policing and public health. Because officers have high rates of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions, their hesitancy puts them at greater risk of serious illness from the coronavirus while also undermining force readiness, experts said. Police officers were more likely to die of covid-19 last year than of all other causes combined, according to data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Police hesitancy also means officers may be vectors of spread to vulnerable people with whom they interact during traffic stops, calls for service and other high-contact encounters. That could thwart efforts to restore community trust in a moment of heightened scrutiny after last month’s conviction of ex-officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd.

[Walleye]

1. Now we clearly see the percentage of right wing nut jobs in law-enforcement.

[RKP5637]

2. Excellent point/observation!!!

[DBoon]

3. Good reason to let go of those officers

A 2-for: get rid of Covid carriers and get rid of RWNJ officers

[Walleye]

4. That's a good solution

[Volaris]

5. Yep should be MANDATORY for all in Healthcare and Public Service AT EVERY LEVEL.

Oh, dont want your shot?
Ok get the fuck out.

I'm WAITING for FDA non-emergency approval, so that private businesses can mandate it as well...it will be oh so nice to watch the Invisible Hand of the Free Market start punching the anti-vaxxers right in their balls.

RIGHT in the balls.

[Walleye]

6. 👏Correct

[marie999]

7. No one should be forced to get the vaccine or lose their job over not getting it

until it has FDA approval. The military learned the hard way over the anthrax vaccine. Does anyone remember thalidomide? It would have been a lot worse if the FDA had approved it.

[RKP5637]

8. Yes, after FDA approval. Sounds good! I went to school with a guy whose mother

had taken thalidomide ... he had webbed hands.