Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 2

Your COVID-19 Questions Answered Dr. Aaron Burry, leader of the CDA COVID-19 Response Team and CDA’sDeputyCEO—Professional Affairs, answeredquestions in early March about dentistry in the context of the pandemic. Q How would you describe where Canada currently stands in the pandemic? Dr. Aaron Burry (AB): Across Canada, it’s been frustrating to see outbreaks keep flaring up in some areas. And the new COVID variants are resulting in rapid rates of infection. The UK variant is 40–70% more transmissible than the previous virus, also recent research from the UK is showing an increase in the death rate from 2.5 to 4% of those who test COVID-19-positive. However, the good news is that the vaccination process has begun—which is extremely welcome! And early research suggests that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines provide protection against both the UK and South African variants. For Canada, the rollout of the vaccines has been a bit wobbly. For dentistry, this means that some of us will be vaccinated ahead of others, and it will be confusing for the next couple of months. There may be changes to recommendations about some of the vaccines because the science is advancing quickly based on real world experience. We’ve seen some of this confusion with efficacy rates of the different vaccines, as some are showing 94% efficacy, others around 66%. But there are no “good” or “bad” COVID-19 vaccines. The bottom line is that they are all achieving the same goal, but it’s difficult to accurately compare one vaccine to another because of the differences in how the clinical trials were designed and conducted. Q What will it mean for our practices once dentists and team members have been vaccinated? AB: In past pandemics, mass vaccination efforts have needed 2–3 years to get enough people vaccinated for a pandemic to be declared under control. And because of the nature of the COVID-19 virus and the new variants, I expect we will likely require boosters after the initial vaccinations to keep us safe and maintain herd immunity as the virus mutates. I’m happy to see that there is initial advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that suggests that gathering in small groups with other individuals who've been vaccinated is likely okay, as long as everyone is still following precautions—such as masking and socially distancing—in other parts of their lives. The risk of transmission and acquiring severe symptoms is much lower in vaccinated individuals. In the short term though, still no medium or large gatherings. We will also have many patients who are not vaccinated so I think we will have many of our current procedures and protocols in place for some time. But my hope in the near future is that if an entire dental team has been vaccinated, they will be able to spend some time with each other again outside the operatory, like eating lunch or having a coffee together. Dr. Aaron Burry 11 Issue 2 | 2021 | CDA at W ork