Impressions
A Much Needed Shot of Hope by Dr . Stephen T . Radack III , Editor
“ The new phone books are here , the new phone books are here !” Many of us remember that classic line from Steve Martin as Navin Johnson in the 1979 movie “ The Jerk .” Navin was so excited that the new telephone directory had finally arrived , and that he was listed in it for the first time . I imagine this is how most of us felt when we heard the long awaited COVID-19 vaccine was finally ready to go .
There has been so much hype and hope the last several months since Operation Warp Speed was announced by then President Trump in May . “ Operation Warp Speed is a public – private partnership initiated by the U . S . government to facilitate and accelerate the development , manufacturing , and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines , therapeutics and diagnostics .”
Would it be possible to let the experts and the scientists at the large pharmaceutical companies do what they do best and provide part of the funding to make it happen ? Does it really have to take years and years to develop vaccines against new disease ? It had been over 100 years since there had been a global pandemic of this magnitude and unprecedented action was required . It seems that developing a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and then administering it would be the best hope for a return to some form of normalcy .
Since the time when Operation Warp Speed was announced until when the vaccines were finally approved by the FDA for emergency use , there were highs and lows with COVID . The number of cases and deaths trended down during the summer and early fall and then started to climb later last year . It seemed like a bit of normal life was returning for a while . Most of our dental offices were up and running at close to pre-pandemic levels , although they didn ’ t look like they had before . You could go out and get dinner if you felt comfortable and even attend a sporting event if you were lucky enough to secure one of the limited tickets . Yes we were still wearing a mask everywhere and doing our best to maintain social distancing , but signs of better days were everywhere . Sports were back and some schools and colleges were back to in person learning or a hybrid model of that and virtual .
The political season was also at its peak . Who could have imagined candidates for president and vice president debating in a Plexiglas box ? During the campaign season the vaccine , as with most other issues , was politicized . The president promising the vaccine would be ready in November and his opponent saying it would never happen . Pfizer announced their vaccine was ready in late November and Moderna soon followed . The FDA gave emergency approval to both shortly after , and in December the vaccine was on its way to all 50 states as we watched then vice president Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden receive their dose of the vaccine live on TV .
Wow … this was science at its best . Operation Warp Speed was a success , but now it was time to get people vaccinated . Each state was responsible for a plan to get their residents vaccinated . The Pennsylvania Department of Health ( DOH ) came out with their “ COVID-19 Interim Vaccination Plan ” on December 11 , 2020 . People who fell in Group 1A would be the first to receive the vaccine . Front line health care workers , first responders and workers in long term care facilities . What about dentists and our staffs ? We are certainly on the “ frontline ” every day . Our PDA leaders immediately asked the same questions , and through the work of the PDA Health Crisis Task Force and the PA COVID-19 Dental Coalition dentistry was moved from group 1B to 1A on December 17 . Hallelujah !
Now when and where can we get our vaccines ? My wife Mary had already received her first dose by the time this was announced , as had most of the nurses and staff she works with at the hospital . Two of our three hospitals in Erie were giving the Pfizer vaccine and the third was ready to give the Moderna as soon as it arrived . None of these facilities were offering the vaccine to anyone in group 1A who worked outside the hospital . That all changed on January 6 , when DOH issued the directive that “ requires that hospitals , health systems , Federally Qualified Health Centers ( FQHCs ) and pharmacies reserve at least 10 percent of each shipment of vaccine to vaccinate health care personnel not affiliated with a hospital or health system .”
In Erie County , many of our members were asking where and how soon can they and their teams get vaccinated . Former PDA president and past ADA Trustee Dr . Andy Kwasny was one of those members asking the question . Andy worked with Erie County Dental Association president Dr . Aaron Merski and took the lead to contact the three local hospitals and get dentists help in their quest to be vaccinated the week of January 4 . AHN St . Vincent Hospital allowed Andy to actually schedule dentists and their teams for the vaccine directly by opening their scheduling portal . Within a few days Andy was able to contact the dentists who wanted to be vaccinated and get them scheduled . I got my first shot on Saturday , January 16 .
MARCH / APRIL 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 5