While the United States is looking for ways to speed up the administration of Covid-19 vaccines, some states and providers are recruiting non-traditional vaccinators, including dentists, retirees and students, to help with the process.
On Monday, the California Department of Consumer Protection approved an emergency exemption allowing dentists to administer Covid-19 vaccines to people aged 16 and over. The American Dental Association says dentists are authorized to apply the vaccine in several states, including Oregon, where the first U.S. dentist to administer the Covid-19 vaccine did so last month.
Some health systems, like the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medicine, are taking advantage of a group of newly trained students in nursing, medicine and dentistry to help with the vaccination effort.
“We have used some atypical vaccinators because we are trying to prioritize keeping our licensed nurses at the bedside,” said Dr. Sarah Nafziger, professor of emergency medicine at UAB. “While we are launching the vaccine, we are simultaneously dealing with a sudden increase in patients.”
Some jurisdictions are looking for retired health workers who have the skills to administer vaccines and are not actively serving Covid-19 patients.
“There are a lot of retired doctors who are standing up to act as vaccinators,” New Jersey state health commissioner Judy Persichilli said during a news conference on Wednesday.
Covid-19 vaccinators must be trained and authorized.
Dr. William Reynolds, president of the American Optometric Association, says that optometrists are an untapped resource in the vaccination effort. He said they are widely distributed and ready to enter smaller, rural communities that may need more labor.
The association says 19 states allow optometrists to administer medications by injection – and in California, they can administer flu and herpes zoster vaccines – but they are not authorized to give the Covid-19 vaccine, specifically.
“We want to be part of the solution,” said Reynolds.