Hello 2022 and Goodbye COVID-19 by Stuart Segelnick, D.D.S., M.S., SDDS Bulletin Editor As I daydreamed about life in Florida without governor or mayoral mandates, news outlets across New York were reporting that COVID-19 was spreading like wildfire. Walking around the Roosevelt Field mall in Nassau County on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 11 was a real eye opener for my wife and me as we shopped for gifts for my upcoming in-person office party. “The Christmas Song” was playing through the speakers and people all around us were upbeat and jolly. The line for parents and their children to see Santa was quite long, and look! There was Santa sitting with a young girl at his side, probably listening to a long list of wishes. I found myself unconsciously humming along to “White Christmas” as the vibrations fluttered on my lips through my mask. Mask…is this a dream? Spinning around, I realized that over 75% of the people were not wearing masks and social distancing. Well, as we say here in Brooklyn, “fuhgeddaboudit.”Was the pandemic truly over? Could I drop the mask and sing again? Unfortunately, no.With increasing numbers of people testing positive for COVID-19 and increasing COVID-related hospitalizations, two days later, Governor Kathy Hochul’s new mask mandate went into effect, requiring masks indoors unless public venues and businesses require proof of vaccination. In the healthcare sector, which includes dentistry, all individuals must continue to wear masks regardless of vaccination status, a mandate that applies to patients and the dental team. While these new requirements were taking effect, I received an email on Dec. 16 from Second District Dental Society (SDDS) alerting me to New York City’s “mandatory employee COVID19 vaccination requirements for employers, effective December 27, 2021.” This mandate forces dentists to require their employees to vaccinate (unless providing medical or religious exemptions), otherwise they will not be able to work. As a strong advocate for vaccination and boosters (I even got boosted at the GNYDM on the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 28 at the Walgreens booth, thanks to the great foresight of our GNYDM Organization Committee), I am still troubled by how this initiative will affect small businesses like ours in terms of finding employees. The pool of applicants is at a record low and this requirement will most likely make it worse. I am wondering why New York is so battered by this virus when in a short two-day trip to Florida for my uncle’s 90th birthday party, it seemed Florida had it all under control. A dentist I met there said Florida has the least COVID-19 cases per capita and does not have the same strict protocols dentists in New York follow. One dentist I interviewed said his office is back to pre-COVID-19 infection control measures where they only wear level 3 masks, but their patients and staff do not wear any masks, the waiting room is packed with people, and everything is fine and dandy. This specific dentist was not even vaccinated. Could this be endemic to Florida dentists? This prompted a call from me on Dec. 23 to the Florida Dental Association (FDA) to find out what is really happening. Casey Stoutamire, Esq., who serves as director of third-party payers and professional affairs at the FDA, was kind enough to answer some of my questions. In her opinion, the comments and behavior of the one dentist I interviewed are not an accurate representation of most dentist in the state based on the calls the FDA has been receiving and questions they have been asked. Also, Ms. Stoutamire pointed out, it is no longer accurate to state that Florida has the least COVID-19 cases per capita. And as far as strict protocols, Florida dentists are adhering to them. Yes, many practices no longer require masks in the waiting room or social distancing, but it’s all about what patients and doctors feel comfortable with. To make the decision on masks and social distancing, the FDA recommends that dentists use their best medical judgement based on information gathered on the vaccine statuses of their staffs and patients, as well as the COVID-19 rates in their area. Florida does not have any state or local mandates for masks or any vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. However, the FDA strongly recommends that dentists follow the same COVID-19 protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as the rest of the country. The FDA also supports the American Dental Association’s stance and strongly encourages dentists and their staffs be vaccinated. As I daydreamed about life in Florida without governor or mayoral mandates, news outlets across New York were reporting that COVID-19 was spreading like wildfire. When I called a temp agency I have used for years, asking them to send over a temporary assistant for a day since my assistant was unavailable, I was told it was almost impossible to find any because many have contracted COVID-19 or chosen not to work because of the upswing in cases. Meanwhile, my patients were cancelling Figure 1 6 SDDS BULLETIN January/February 2022 —VOLUME 39 ◊ NUMBER 1
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