Weekly COVID testing mandate ends for unvaccinated well being care staff in California

The California Division of Public Well being on Sept. 17 ended the COVID-19 testing mandate for unvaccinated well being care staff and different people in high-risk settings, which embrace dental places of work.

Unvaccinated dentists and their workers have been complying with the state’s public well being order requiring vaccination or weekly testing since full compliance started Aug. 23, 2021. Dental workers who didn’t present proof of COVID-19 vaccination have been required to check weekly and submit proof of a unfavourable check to their employer.

Dentist employers had monitoring and documentation obligations as a part of the state mandate. CDA members used assets throughout this time to help their compliance, together with CDA’s self-certification of worker vaccination standing, a weekly testing monitoring type for workers and varieties for requesting and documenting vaccination exemptions. 

Different high-risk well being care settings which can be now not topic to the weekly or twice-weekly testing requirement embrace, however usually are not restricted to, physician places of work, common acute care hospitals, expert nursing services, acute psychiatric services and homeless shelters. 

Though the state order has been lifted, some cities and counties proceed to mandate weekly COVID-19 testing. Employers should observe the stricter order, whether or not federal, state or native, and may examine with their native well being division to make sure compliance.

Vaccine protection ‘excessive amongst staff in high-risk settings’

The state’s news release asserting termination of the July 21 2021, public well being order notes the excessive price of vaccination amongst staff in high-risk settings. CDA’s own survey performed in Might-June 2021 confirmed 94% of California dentists had been vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19.

The completely different habits of the omicron subvariants — mainly, their elevated transmissibility even amongst vaccinated, boosted and beforehand contaminated people — additionally influenced CDPH’s choice to rescind the vaccinate-or-test mandate.

“Mandated testing of the small variety of unvaccinated staff shouldn’t be successfully stopping illness transmission as with the unique COVID-19 virus and prior variants earlier within the pandemic,” CDPH said. “Consequently, whereas COVID-19 stays with us, I’m rescinding the July 26, 2021 State Public Well being Officer Order efficient September 17, 2022,” the state public well being officer wrote. 

Employers inspired to proceed selling vaccination, testing 

Whereas weekly testing necessities are ending, CDPH encourages employers to proceed offering testing assets to workers to sluggish the unfold of COVID-19 in communities, observing that “vaccination and testing are two key measures that assist mitigate the unfold of COVID-19, as is masking and enhancing indoor air flow.”

Dentists can proceed to make use of assets in CDA’s Vaccine Confidence Toolkit to manage fast assessments of their follow, handle workers and talk about vaccine security and efficacy with their sufferers. Simply final week, with the help of a CDPH grant, CDA revealed new infographics, vaccination speaking factors, pattern social media posts and different assets to be used particularly in dental places of work.

Moreover, dentists and different employers in California can nonetheless select to mandate that their staff be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. Member dentists can use CDA’s sample vaccination policy, which incorporates directions and concerns for employers, together with circumstances when workers could also be exempt from complying.

Masking, screening, reporting necessities proceed in dental places of work

Dentists and their workers, in addition to sufferers and guests in dental places of work and different well being care settings in California, should proceed to put on face masks, and employers should present correctly fitted respirators to workers concerned with aerosol-generating procedures. Cal/OSHA requires use of respirators throughout such procedures in each dental and medical settings.

Dental places of work additionally should proceed to display sufferers for COVID-19 as required by Cal/OSHA. 

CDA has FAQ on masking and screening requirements and an article with detailed details about persevering with reporting and return-to-work requirements per the present Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Non permanent Requirements that finish Dec. 31.