IDA President Emphasizes Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination Amongst Dental Professionals
When I received my COVID-19 vaccine on January 8, I was relieved to take this small step as a healthcare professional because I know what it means for the bigger picture. As COVID-19 evolves to become more infectious, like we are currently observing with the Delta variant, I, as president of the Iowa Dental Association, encourage all dental professionals to be vaccinated against COVID-19, if you are able, to help keep our patients and communities safe.
Dental professionals were prioritized in Phase 1A of COVID-19 distribution because we are essential workers to the patients we serve. Patients look to us as leaders, and we have the opportunity to lead by example by trusting science and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. We as dentists have certainly done our part to minimize the spread of COVID-19 through increased infection control, but the pandemic isn’t over yet. IDA supports the ADA and the CDC’s stance that mandatory vaccination is not necessary for healthcare professionals at this time, but I believe the vaccine is critical in advancing public health beyond the pandemic and encourage you to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and advocate for your staff and patients to do the same. The ADA has
valuable resources for members to share with your patients to help stress the importance of the vaccine. Thank you for everything you continue to do for your patients and for your peers in the dental community.
-IDA President Dr. Zach Kouri