California dentists can administer COVID-19 vaccines to patients

Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the state is looking to enlist dentists, pharmacy techs, members of the National Guard and others to speed up the pace of vaccinations in the fight against COVID-19. 

“Whatever dental professionals can do to help," said Dr. Assal Aslani, "Sign me up, tell me where to go.I can go on my days off.” 

Dr. Assal Aslani from Portola Dental Group in Palm Desert is willing  to join the fight against COVID-19 . 

“Everyone's really eager to get these vaccinations," said Dr. Aslani. "We've been waiting. There's a lot of people that need to be vaccinated.” 

A public health emergency waiver has been approved by the department of consumer affairs.

Dentists in California will be allowed to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to people 16 years old and older.

“There's 36,000 dentists willing and wanting to be part of the solution to help get us past this pandemic," said Dr. Richard Nagy.

But there’s a catch, shots will be given in hospital settings, clinics and other vaccination sites. 

Eligible dentists will be required to complete training protocols set by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“It's approximately three hours training and it really goes through what is COVID, what is the vaccine, how to administer it, what to be on the lookout in terms of any adverse reactions or allergic reactions and how to handle it," said Dr. Nagy. "And it's also the paperwork on how to document it.” 

Dr. Richard Nagy, the former president of the California Dental Association says  allowing dentists to vaccinate patients could help save lives. 

“We need two shots in order for this vaccine to help fully protect people," said Dr. Nagy. "We estimate in California, that's about 200,000 injections a day. So we need to supply the vaccine, which is coming, but we also need people to actually give the injections to make it happen.” 

For more information on the California Dental Association, click here.