As vaccines began to roll out weeks ago, some hospitals around the country reported that 40 percent or more of their health care workers who could have gotten a Covid-19 vaccine by January had not immediately signed up for it. Other health facilities have had so many extra doses from employees who declined the vaccine that people outside that first priority group — including a sheriff’s deputy and a Disney employee — ended up getting shots.

And a new report by a consortium of universities, released Friday, shows that Covid-19 vaccine uptake and enthusiasm in the health care workforce has also been incredibly uneven. For example, those earning less than $50,000 a year were almost three times less likely to have been vaccinated by mid-January than someone earning more than $200,000 — 8 percent vs 23 percent. Those making lower wages were also much more likely to say they would not get the vaccine at all (27 percent versus 11 percent).

These are troubling developments, especially since health care workers are at higher risk of contracting the virus and are essential in our efforts to treat Covid-19 patients. Some public health experts hoped this group would be relatively easy to vaccinate — and could help pave the way for broader vaccine acceptance. But they also represent a revealing cross-section of America.

You can't force people to take what can't safe them.....even against the new strain