Poll: Half of U.S. Adults Uncomfortable Seeing Unvaccinated Doctor

July 28, 2201 -- About fractional of adults successful the United States accidental that they would beryllium uncomfortable seeing a doc who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a caller WebMD/Medscape poll.

In the survey, 54% of the 687 respondents said that they would beryllium “not astatine each comfortable” seeing an unvaccinated doctor, with 9% selecting the “somewhat comfortable” option, portion much than a 3rd (37%) said they would beryllium “very comfortable” successful that situation.

Women and men mostly agreed connected their level of comfort: 58% of women and 57% of men said not astatine all, 7% of women and 10% of men said somewhat, and 35% of women and 33% of men said vaccination presumption did not substance to them, based connected the responses received during information postulation connected July 8-9, 2021.

As with truthful galore things American these days, however, determination are immoderate important differences hiding successful those findings.

Age differences, for example, played a large relation successful the results, with 64% of those ages 45 years and older saying they were not astatine each comfortable, vs. 46% of those nether property 45.

Respondents surviving successful the West were astir apt to explicit their comfortableness with nonvaccinated doctors (46%), and those successful the Northeast were slightest apt (26%), with the Midwest (35%) and the South (38%) falling successful between.

Infection Scenarios: Should Providers Be Punished?

The survey besides included a question astir whether wellness attraction providers should beryllium punished if they exposure others to COVID-19 done assorted scenarios portion astatine work.

The script voted worst was a clinician who had COVID-19 but continued to enactment without utilizing idiosyncratic protective instrumentality (PPE). Eighty-two percent of respondents agreed that was worthy of punishment. A clinician who knew they were infected but continued to enactment portion wearing PPE was the lone different script wherever much than fractional of the respondents supported punishment (53%).

Doctors, doc assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and different wellness attraction providers were besides asked akin questions. That canvass surveyed 2,498 professionals and was conducted July 7-18.

That radical came to a akin conclusion: More than 90% said that the clinician who knew they were infected but kept moving without PPE should beryllium punished.

The opinions successful that survey differed somewhat aft that, some from the diligent canvass and betwixt the clinician groups.

None of the different scenarios reached 50% enactment for punishment among the doctors, but 51% of nurses and 55% of different providers wanted to punish a clinician known to person COVID who infected a susceptible patient.