COLUMBIA, S.C. — Despite months of constant close contact with COVID-19 patients, some healthcare providers are still waiting to be vaccinated.
Some healthcare workers say while they're not on the frontlines, they're still at risk.
Dr. Michael Finch, a pediatrician, says, "In hindsight, it should have been done a little bit differently." He says, "I am still exposed, more so than an individual that's walking around in the public."
Dr. Fritz Butehorn enrolled his practice in the vaccine roll out to get his staff vaccinated. He says, "In reality, if we don't vaccinate healthcare in the outpatient setting, we will be overwhelming the hospital with patients that can't get healthcare anywhere else."
He says he wants all healthcare providers, across all medical fields, vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Dr. Finch says 80% of his staff have received the COVID vaccine. "We, as pediatricians, are definitely getting exposed to children that have it."
Dr. Finch says with the vaccine not yet approved for children, it was imperative he be vaccinated. "A big part of it was to try and protect myself from getting it."
Finch agrees it was a good idea to vaccinate frontline workers first, but now he and many other physicians want to be protected from COVID-19, too.