Now that proof of COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory in Ontario, one indoor location you don’t need it is your dentist’s office.
Ontario Dental Association past-president Dr. LouAnn Visconti of Timmins says dental care is health care, so no one will be refused.
On the topic of who can be vaccinated, she uses her own orthodontic office as an example.
“I see a lot of patients who are under 12,” she points out. “They, at the current time, cannot get vaccinated. They’re not eligible. And there are some people for medical conditions that can’t get vaccinated, and there’s people who choose not to.”
There are strict safety protocols in every office, and staff wear full personal protective equipment when a patient is in the chair.
You might wonder whether the dentist and their staff are vaccinated.
“There is something called the Personal Health Information Protection Act,” says Dr. Visconti. “Basically, the dentist cannot divulge employee medical information.”