Better check the dentist or other health providers next. From a letter published today (not mine)

[question everything]

So I walk into my dentist's office, ready for a cleaning. Everyone I see is masked, as am I. I fill out the required form stating that I have no COVID symptoms, have been fully vaccinated and haven't been out of the country in the last few weeks (years, really). I meet a new hygienist and settle into the chair. We chat in the limited way possible with her hands in my mouth. It's April 2021, we both declare that we've gotten through the COVID months safely. We've been vaccinated, I say, have you?

"Oh, no," she says. "I don't believe in that stuff. I take hydroxychloroquine."

I am stunned. I ask to see the dentist. When he comes in, I notice that he is tightly masked and that the hygienist's blue paper mask is only loosely worn. I convey to him my distress that I was not told that the hygienist has not been vaccinated.

"That's her choice," he says. The conversation is brief, and he conveys no concern for me. I get out of the chair and leave.

Her choice, yes, and the dentist's choice to employ her. However, if I must declare details of my COVID status before I am treated, do I not deserve to know the COVID status of those who intend to treat me? Do I not have the choice to know — as they do?

Elizabeth McGarry, Edina

https://www.startribune.com/readers-write-pandemic-life-chauvins-sentence-eagan-parks-trash-policy-ufos/600064377/

[hlthe2b]

1. Maybe this should be included on the dentist's review pages...

Good on you for walking out.

[question everything]

2. No me, but I will remember this

[PoliticAverse]

3. Considering the amount of time a dentist (and their associates) spend in your face...

yes you certainly would want to know their office's COVID policies.

[appalachiablue]

4. Unbelievable, shocking in fact...

[Captain Zero]

5. tired of it. My Haircutter and Massage Therapist

are the same damn way.

[appalachiablue]

29. Just awful and hard to believe, that's their

livelihood and biz hasn't been so great lately...

[lark]

48. The only reason I went to my hairdresser during the past year was her great caution.

They took it seriously where she works, implemented strict safety protocols. I know for sure she and the guy who works closest to her (8 ft away) were vaccinated and think the other stylist and masseuse there were did as well. I too quit going to a dentist when he said Covid was a hoax to make hospitals more money. Hopefully my new dentist will be good, we'll see soon.

[kimbutgar]

50. My hairdresser and those who work in the shop proudly proclaim they got their vaccines

The same as my dentist and those who work there.I guess it depends on where one lives.

[SidneyR]

6. I called two dentist offices.

First, I called my original dentist, who was noncommittal about staff vaccinations, saying "most of us are vaccinated." I said that wasn't good enough, and called another, who said "we are all fully vaccinated." The second one got my appointment and transferred records.

[aeromanKC]

16. +1000

[bucolic_frolic]

7. No way the public should have to deal with unvaccinated health care providers

It's health care. Not risk care.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. Bravo!!

[RicROC]

9. it's one thing to have certain convictions about any vaccinations...

but to say you are taking Hydrochloroquine as a preventive measure, and you are health care professional/scientist? That shows me that you are incompetent, non-professional and open to a malpractice suit.

[flibbitygiblets]

32. This 👆 This 👆 This 👆

[AZ8theist]

39. and also pretty fucking stupid....

[Warpy]

10. This is why smart people are getting vaccinated

Morons taking hydroxychloroquine and antivax dimwits will be facing the full threat of infection.

Vaccinated people won't be. Oh, they might get exposed and a slight infection will set in, but disease will not follow. The immune system kicks in too quickly for that.

I can't believe people are still taking hydroxychloroquine, the word has been out for nearly a year that it's ineffective as either a preventive or a treatment, it only works on several strains of malaria and a load of autoimmune diseases. Its worst adverse effect is blindness, which can happen a couple of years after it's discontinued. Bet they don't know about that, either.

[wnylib]

15. Also increases risk of heart attacks for people who

get infected with covid.

[Joinfortmill]

21. Wow

[AllyCat]

23. My sister and a nurse I work with believe it works

The nurse is constantly citing one study or another that says if you start it early, it’s effective. 0.3 ml of vaccine x2. Ingredients are basically food grade components and mRNA. And these morons go on and on about “poison”! And “my immune system is strong”! And believe this snake oil will save them.

[TexasBushwhacker]

41. And my friend w/ lupus is having a hard time getting

her prescriptions filled because of the stupidly increased demand.

[Warpy]

42. Which sort of begs the question why the Feds are sitting on millions of doses of the stuff

after Dumdum and his nitwit son in law tried to corner the market.

Somebodu in the Biden administration needs to look into it, release it to rheumatologists.

I was on it for about 15 years, total.

[efhmc]

53. Was in a Walmart in Cedar Park TX outside of Austin on Wednesday and there was a PA saying roll

up your sleeve and come on over for your shot. Availability sure is different than when I got mine several months ago.

[TexasBushwhacker]

54. Yeah, now the problem is the anti-vaxxers

and the folks counting on "herd immunity". Well, herd immunity happens BECAUSE large numbers of the population (70 to 80%) get fully vaccinated. We just aren't there yet.

[tiptonic]

11. Same here

I had very similar thing happen to me at my 'ex-dentist' office. Only one hygienist had a mask on, in the whole office. The dentist walked in and finally pulled his up over his mouth but not his nose. The icing on the cake, was when he asked me (as they were watching faux news), if i was a bible scholar. As soon as he got his hand out of my mouth, I left. I have a new dentist now. His office is like going into surgery.

[AZ8theist]

40. Who was your ex-dentist? This clown?:

https://www.texasobserver.org/2965-the-curious-faith-of-don-mcleroy-what-inspires-the-man-at-the-center-of-the-texas-creationism-controversy/

[BradBo]

12. This little subject might get interesting.

I’m now wondering about my right wing dentist and receptionist. Been seeing them for 40 years. But I got no problem going to a fully vaccinated office, no problem dropping them.
There were over 10,000 cases of “breakthrough” COVID since we started vaccinating. . That’s when you get sick and your fully vaccinated. I have a co worker that just went to his grandmas funeral where 13 people got sick in her nursing home and 2 died, all vaccinated.
Of the >10,000 on the CDC site about 160 died with a medium age of 82.
My dentist could give me the virus and I take it to my elderly moms house. Ain’t gonna happen!
Oh, and you know those numbers are low!

[KS Toronado]

13. So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander?

I refuse the vaccine but I'll only clean teeth on vaccinated people.
These MAGAers are really out of touch with reality.

[AllyCat]

24. I believe the term you are looking for is

MAGATs.

[mchill]

14. On March 17, 2020

I had the second to last part of a root canal crown procedure. It was the day California shut down everything and theoretically the dentist should not have even be doing crowns. He was a new dentist to me and I had no idea he still sent out for the actual crown (which meant waiting another 2 weeks). Over a year later, I still have a temporary because I discovered that day the dentist and assistant thought hydroxychloroquine would be the treatment for COVID. Me-I walked in with raincoat, N95 and portable sterilizer, nervous as hell. While in the chair the assistant said “I think this will blow over in a few weeks.” I remember grabbing her arm and saying “Oh dear.”

I doubt the assistant or office worker is vaccinated just based on my gut instincts. Two weeks later they called me to say the crown was in and they were still operating business as usual.

My County is full on Trumper and has the worst vaccine and COVID stats in California.

I need to get my teeth cleaned and crown finished but not sure what to do.

[Hekate]

31. Get a list of dentists in your area & start phoning with a list of questions...

And by “your area” I mean as far as you are willing to commute. We’re still driving 40+ miles to our old town in order to stay with the doctor, the dentist, and the ophthalmologist.

#1 Are you and your staff all vaccinated for COVID?
#2 Are you still following safety protocols now that restrictions are loosening up?
#3 What are those safety protocols? (My dentist has always worn a mask and gloves, going back to when I met him)
#4 Will you take over an unfinished root canal/crown procedure? Can you retrieve the crown from the other guy, so at least that’s not wasted?

If they ask you why you are leaving your old dentist, simply say you were not satisfied with their safety protocols in these times. That should be explanation enough.

That should do it. I wish you all the best of luck.

[mchill]

38. Thank you, but I have one complication

This dentist is very slow which counterintuitively works well for me. My last dentist made my tinnitus 10 times worse and one of the remedies is to drill intermittently. She wouldn’t do that even though I offered to pay for her time. Not only that, she basically fired me knowing I had the root canal on 3/15 and the root canal dentist forwarded my records to her w/o me knowing. Unbeknownst to her, I had found another dentist. I think the root canal doctor told her what I said about her frenetic drilling. To do that on the cusp of a pandemic closing after a root canal! Not impressed. The Trumper dentist, because he is so cautious, did not exacerbate my tinnitus and based on the previous dentist, not sure I’d find another like him. Torn between waiting the pandemic out and making this temp last, but I need cleaning so bad.

I’ve been dreading the call to this dentist to ask about protocols. I’m vaccinated, so not sure of my risk, but we have churches in this town that still think masks are a control feature and a New Age contingency that thinks a strong immune system will protect them. I’ve asked several people in last few days if they are vaccinated—refridgerator repair guy, a contractor, small local coffee drive thru proprietor, an organizer I want to hire and none vaccinated! Every excuse in the book (“I almost died when I got the newest shingles vaccine”, “I don’t trust it yet”, “I had COVID so I have antibodies”, one just said not vaccinated —refridge repair guy..he wore a mask snd zi UV’d my house after he left.). We have two skilled nursing facilities in our tiny county. One of them had a vaccinated resident die. Only 15% of the workers are vaccinated!!

Anyway, this is probably TMI, but it’s life in Trump country.

[Grasswire2]

17. similar here

I went to a new dentist last year. No one asked me the Covid questions. There were no signs anywhere. The "bay" had two chairs, just separated by a partial partition. In the other bay, while I sat and was examined by the technician with my mouth wide open, a woman was being treated by dentist and they were both YAKKING and YAKKING loudly. The woman in the chair obviously had no mask on while being treated. I never went back.

[Marthe48]

18. Good for you for walking out

I'm so tired of idiots.

Even with between 50-65% of American adults are vaccinated, there are new cases every day. New deaths every day. If you have to get into someone's mouth or body, for Christ's sake, get a vaccine.

[Joinfortmill]

19. You certainly do

[barbtries]

20. Not in NC.

you can ask, but they don't have to answer. Happily my dentist and periodontist were all vaccinated except one, who was waiting for the opportunity to get the J&J vaccination.

[berni_mccoy]

22. If the hygienist is dumb enough to take hydroxychloroquine for COVID, then they have no business

rooting around in anyone’s mouth.

[Cousin Dupree]

25. Mr Dupree visited the endodontist for a root canal.

The hygienist who assisted the doctor had no mask on. Mr. Dupree did not ask her to wear a mask. Later, it came up in conversation that the masked doc and the patient were vaccinated and the hygienist was not. The doctor said to her, “ See Janet? You should get vaccinated”. So this woman had her hands in my husbands mouth and was working closely next to him, maskless and not vaccinated. I’m still mad at my husband for not discussing this at the office right there and then. He could have had a hand in protecting another patient, if not himself. And I’m furious with the doctor for not protecting my spouse. This happened 2 weeks ago and I’m still steaming. Don’t be like Mr. Dupree. Stick up for yourselves.

[question everything]

30. The strange thing is dentists and hygienists used to wear masks even before

the pandemics, at least the professional ones.

[japple]

26. I had surgery for breast cancer in May 2020 and was taken to the ultrasound unit for a procedure

prior to surgery. The ultrasound techs and the radiologist were talking about Covid and wondering about how soon a vaccine would be available. Both of the US techs stated that they would not take a vaccine. They didn't say why, and I wasn't up to asking them why not, but it was unsettling to me nevertheless.

[tanyev]

27. I've had 2 dentist appointments since this began, one for sure before any vaccines

were available. Maybe they’d started vaccinations by my second visit. Both times the hygienist and dentist were in full PPE—masks, shields, gloves, suit, the whole works. I’m curious to see what things look like at my next appt in a couple months. If a health care worker doesn’t want to get vaccinated (crazy!), they need to keep using sufficient PPE.

[AllyCat]

28. Our vet proudly states all staff are vaccinated and they STILL

are doing curb service for pets.

When this vaccine is fully approved, I hope employers mandate it across the board. And all our other vaccines as well. I don’t want to get flu, measles, or pertussis from some dip$hit anti-vaxxer

[70sEraVet]

34. Kind of funny when you think about it;

A veterinarian making sure his all of his staff are vaccinated, but a dentist ........

[BobTheSubgenius]

33. My health care providers won't even accept just 'any old mask.'

It has to be a triple-layer, medical grade mask, and they will provide one, if you need it.

[catrose]

35. Something similar happened to me, but I asked on the phone before the appt

They said not everyone in the office was vaccinated, and I said I’d wait until they were. I can’t understand medical employees not getting the vaccine, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to insist that they are, especially people who crawl up in your face to treat you.

[blueinredohio]

36. I take hydroychloquin for lupus but I also got vaccinated.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

37. Yep. It's going on all over the place. And it shouldn't be.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=15457840

[Maraya1969]

47. "It would be anti-American to require that everyone be vaccinated" Like the Smallpox vac

and polio vax that I believe everyone had to get. And the measles and all the others???

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

55. Ikr? Just ridiculous.

I didn't want to get into an argument, I just wanted to leave. But I was thinking later of many things I wish I'd said. Like the fact that "being American" doesn't grant us carte blanche. I wish I'd asked her if she objects to the seatbelt laws, etc.?

It's a shame, because I really like that doc. Competent and with, usually, good beside manner. And, if I try to find a replacement, the same thing seems likely to happen. Apparently, neither doctors nor their staff are legally bound to be vaccinated.

[Grins]

43. hydroxychloroquine requires a doctor's prescription.

So how did the den-hy get it?

“The FDA and the National Institutes of Health state that hydroxychloroquine should ONLY be taken for the treatment of COVID-19 under the direction of a doctor in a clinical study.”

So....?

[Catherine Vincent]

44. What nerve!

I would have walked out too. I visited my dentist a couple of weeks ago and didn't ask about vacs. The dentist came in and said she did but I don't remember the hygienist mentioning anything about it.i

[ananda]

45. I'm getting my teeth cleaned later this month.

I'm not too worried about it, but now I'll call and
ask them if their hygienists are vaccinated.

Thanks for this.

[Maraya1969]

46. I'd write that on a Google review and on Health Grades etc. That dentist doesn't

care that he has a crazy conspiracy nut working on his patients.

[question everything]

49. It was not I; is a local letter but I am sure it will generate waves.

Still, I am quite certain that dentists and hygienists wore masks before the pandemic. Really common sense and I would think that the medical board - or whoever regulates them - should say so.

[seta1950]

51. Honestly

I asked if they were, I don’t trust people.

[AllaN01Bear]

52. both my dentist and reciptionist and the tec wear masks and gloves .

recep is in a little alcove and she prepairs the bills and apointments from there . i goto super cuts and there is only one stylist at a time and coustomers are told to make a same day apointment ,. both must wear masks .