Can your dentist or eye doctor give COVID vaccines? Not yet, but they’d like to
With federal health officials expected to authorize the first COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. within days, health care providers are wondering if there are enough of them to legally administer the shot to millions of Americans.
Of the professionals worried about vaccination capacity are eye doctors and dentists, both who say they are qualified to inject their patients when coming in for routine checkups and cleanings.
However, many providers say their participation in vaccine distribution may not come to fruition any time soon. Unique storage and shipping issues, as well as different state decisions on vaccine allocation could put a pause on any legislation needed to give dentists permission to vaccinate people.
Despite the known obstacles, federal health officials still acknowledge the need for more help.
In Nov. 23 guidance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said states should “assess the provider types that can administer immunizations… [and] consider whether there should be expansions of providers, including mass immunizers.”
“When you look at what dentists do and how many injections they give day in and day out, I think they’re more than qualified,” dentist and California state assembly member Jim Wood, told NBC News in November. “It’s kind of a no-brainer.”
The American Dental Association says that about 9% of Americans see their dentist, but not their physician, annually, which is enough to deem them “an essential health care service,” according to a Nov. 20 letter sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Dentists and their teams can help increase the nation’s medical surge capacity when medical personnel are overwhelmed,” the ADA wrote. “Dentists are trained health care professionals who can administer critical vaccines to prevent life or health-threatening conditions — and protect the life and health of patients and staff at the point of care.”
During the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic, dentists in certain states were given permission to administer vaccines to reduce the load on other health care providers.
“I think everyone knows that dentists give a lot of injections all day, every day and the injections we give are far more technically complex and involve medications that are riskier,” Dr. Dean Chiodo, dean of the University of Washington School of Dentistry, told Seattle’s KOMO News.
“Dentists are trained to give injections of other medications in the arm, to do intravenous blood draws, administering of medication for sedation, for emergency reasons. So certainly, it’s well within the scope of our training,” Chiodo said.
Another dentist in Massachusetts pointed out the convenience of getting vaccinated during routine cleanings.
“With a little extra training, I feel more than confident we could give the COVID vaccine,” Dr. Christopher Pellegrino, a dentist with Hingham Dental Associates, told Boston25. “Usually patients are local to their dental office. It’s easy to get to, it’s convenient. It’s a very safe environment right now with all the PPE standards we’ve added.”
Eye doctors are in the same boat
One California optometrist, Dr. Frank Giardina, told NBC News that while the shingles virus can infect the eyes, he’s not legally allowed to administer the vaccine that prevents it.
Giardina told the outlet he’s hoping his state gives eye doctors permission to give COVID-19 vaccines when they become available. California is one of the states that “permit doctors of optometry to provide vaccinations,” according to the American Optometric Association, but further permission would need to be granted for the coronavirus.
“We’re another member of the health care team. It’s a waste of manpower not to,” Giardina told NBC News. “If you’re trying to vaccinate all these people, especially in rural areas, you need whoever you can find.”
The AOA says that there are more than 46,000 optometrists working in the U.S., suggesting “optometry is well-positioned to increase the public’s access to these critical immunizations.”
“This unparalleled situation necessitates a reassessment of the provider types able to deliver immunizations in each state, recognizing that doctors of optometry can — and do — provide immunizations in some states and have the ability to expand this historic vaccination response,” Dr. William Reynolds, president of the AOA, said in a statement.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Can your dentist or eye doctor give COVID vaccines? Not yet, but they’d like to."
