Dental Offices Must Provide Documentation Of COVID-19 Vaccines

Unvaccinated personnel must be checked on a regular basis, and dental offices must produce documentation of COVID-19 vaccines

While CDA enthusiastically supports Gov. Gavin Newsom's newest public health order in principle, it is critical that the administration properly articulates the intricacy of the testing criteria ahead to the order's implementation date. Many health care industries, including dental, are experiencing staffing shortages, while Californians continue to face access to care concerns that have been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic's cascading impacts.

The specifics of how the weekly testing requirements will be administered and enforced must be made apparent, and they must be consistent with sustaining the present dental workforce and, more critically, keeping dental practices available to patients.

CDA is continuing to work with the Newsom administration to get answers to our members' most urgent problems, and we will continue to push to ensure that dental chairs remain accessible to patients and that new regulations enacted during the epidemic continue to allow dental offices to thrive.

On July 30, CDA released a FAQ to answer members' most frequently asked questions concerning the order.

Workers in the health-care field must produce proof of immunization or submit to random testing on a regular basis

California issued an order today mandating all health care employees in the state to either produce proof of complete immunization against COVID-19 or be tested on a regular basis to assist prevent the spread of the delta variant and safeguard access to key health care services.

The order includes dental offices and dental office personnel. Employers of dentists must ensure that their employees are completely vaccinated against COVID-19. Dental workers who have not been properly vaccinated or who cannot demonstrate proof of immunization will be tested weekly for COVID-19 and will be obliged to wear surgical masks at a minimum. The CDA is working with state officials to clarify dental practice regulations, such as how COVID-19 testing will be done and who would pay for it.

Update on the subject: Governor Gavin Newsom approved legislation sponsored by the CDA on Oct. 8 that allows California dentists to apply for the required laboratory licensing to perform quick COVID-19 testing in the dental office. Details and a link to CDA's revised COVID-19 Laboratory Testing Toolkit may be found in the CDA article.

The statewide regulation will go into effect on Monday, August 9th, with complete compliance due by August 23rd. State employees, as well as prisons, homeless shelters, and other high-risk congregate settings, are covered by the policy, however different testing and PPE requirements may apply.

Health-care professionals should be required to get vaccinated, according to 60 medical groups

The state's decision comes as the highly contagious delta variant causes an uptick in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the state, particularly in areas where vaccination rates are low.

According to state data, COVID-19 instances more than doubled in the week ending July 23, rising from 1.9 cases per 100,000 to at least 9.5 cases per 100,000. Hospitalizations are reaching 3,000, up from 900 in June, and the COVID-19 case rate among the unvaccinated is 600% greater than that of fully vaccinated people.

The American Medical Association, along with a number of other major medical organizations, released a statement today urging "all health care and long-term care employers to require their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine," citing the highly contagious delta variant and "significant numbers of unvaccinated people."

"This new order is a great public health policy that correctly encourages California health care professionals, who are community lifelines to important care, to be vaccinated," Judee Tippett-Whyte, DDS, CDA president, said in reaction to the new policy. Vaccines are both safe and effective against major COVID-19 sickness, according to the data. While the bulk of the state's dental team members are already vaccinated, I'm hoping that this new mandate will be the final push that many people who have been on the fence about becoming completely vaccinated require."

The Vaccine Confidence Toolkit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has information specifically for dentists

According to a recent poll of practicing dentists in California, 94 percent of those questioned have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The online survey, performed by CDA and the California Department of Public Health, discovered that immunization rates among dental team members varied significantly, with about eight out of every 10 dental team members receiving vaccine.

The CDA's COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit contains hundreds of tools for dentists and their teams. The toolbox is routinely updated with the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 testing in the dentistry context, as well as employer best practices and policies. The delta variation, as well as its transmissibility and vaccination efficacy, is the subject of a new FAQ.

More information about staff testing will be provided in the future

Dentists can get solutions to their personnel testing questions here. Due to the difficulties of permitting employees to be tested, some health systems in the state are demanding or encouraging employee immunization instead of testing.

Which COVID-19 tests (e.g., point-of-care tests, quick tests, community testing locations) will qualify for weekly testing, and do tests need FDA approval?
Antigen and PCR testing are acceptable and must be authorized by the FDA. The testing can take place at any of the locations.

Do providers require a Laboratory Field Services/CLIA license to deliver quick COVID-19 testing if they qualify?
Yes. A CLIA waiver is currently required to deliver a quick COVID-19 test, but Gov. Newsom signed CDA-sponsored legislation into law on Oct. 8, 2021, allowing dentists to receive the necessary state lab testing licensing (LFS).

Will providers be able to test their own workers (if the tests aren't required), particularly if the person isn't a patient of record?
Yes, they can use the state-run PCR testing programs or hire a private business. The Testing Task Force's website has a "lab list" where providers may find private testing businesses.

More information regarding the state's new vaccination and testing policy will be released soon. CDA is talking to politicians about more details concerning testing unvaccinated dental workers, such as how the regulation will be implemented and how companies may plan for the time it takes for employees to complete weekly COVID-19 tests.