https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/no-mandatory-vaccines-for-nb-dentists-1.6288411
New Brunswick dentists won't be required to get COVID-19 vaccinations
Dental society says protocols provide enough protection for patients
While endorsing vaccinations, the group is not making them a condition of a licence, said executive director Paul Blanchard.
He said the society believes that patients are adequately protected by safety protocols that were put in place at the beginning of the pandemic and tweaked at regular intervals when necessary.
"We have great confidence in our operational plan and our infection-control guidelines, and so we know that patients are safe when they come to the dental office," said Blanchard.
He said preventing the transmission of diseases of all kinds, including HIV and hepatitis, is "really our number one priority."
"So we are confident in the operational plan and in our infection control guidelines that dental clinics are a safe place to be."
Blanchard pointed out that dental offices have been opened during the pandemic since May 2020 and, "to our knowledge, there are no known cases of transmission in the dental office."
He said it's also important to remember that "the main benefit of the vaccine is to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death."
A fully vaccinated person can, however, still transmit the virus, he said, and that's where the other components of the operational plan come in — social distancing if possible, mask use, washing hands.
Canadian dental group wants mandatory vaccines
In September, the Canadian Dental Association called on "the immediate action of the provincial and territorial governments to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers, including oral health care professionals."
That group includes dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental therapists, and all other dental office workers such as office managers and reception staff.
The decision was made under the belief that dentists have a higher duty of care to their patients, said Dr. Aaron Burry, the group's deputy chief executive officer.
"And to have that higher duty of care means that we take measures and actions that are at a higher level than the general population," he explained.
"So we weren't calling on a mandate for everyone. It was again in solidarity with our other health-care professionals to suggest that governments look at mandating vaccination for all health-care providers, including all health providers."
Dentistry is considered essential which means all patients can receive treatment regardless of their vaccination status. (Shutterstock / chanchai plongern)
Blanchard said the board considered the Canadian association's position and that of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick but has not altered its position on mandatory vaccines.
Last month, the college decided to suspend unvaccinated doctors in the province as of Dec. 1. Dr. Ed Schollenberg said at the time, an exact number wasn't available, but that "fewer than 10" doctors were suspended for not being vaccinated.
On Thursday, Schollenberg said that number hadn't changed and so far, none of those doctors had been vaccinated.
Most dentists have shots
While Blanchard said exact numbers aren't known, he estimated that fewer than 10 dentists — out of 364 licensed in New Brunswick — are unvaccinated.
That's less than three per cent, compared to the general population, where more than 17 per cent are not fully vaccinated. Among doctors in the province, the unvaccination rate is less than 0.5 per cent.
With all of the infection-control guidelines in place, Blanchard said the society doesn't believe unvaccinated dentists pose a risk to patients.
The society consulted an employment lawyer to help educate dentists about their rights and responsibilities, since each clinic is considered an independent business.
Just like any other business, they can make vaccination a condition of employment. Blanchard said he's not aware of any that have done that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
"Approximately 150 New Brunswick pharmacists attended the annual conference held over the weekend at the Delta in Fredericton. The conference included the annual general meetings of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association, New Brunswick College of Pharmacists and the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (NB chapter) as well as professional development sessions and a keynote address by Dominic Cardy, leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party.
The award recipients are as follows:
Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Bowl of Hygeia Award – Judith Seymour of Fredericton"
New Brunswick pharmacists back legislation for mandatory immunization
N.B. pharmacists back legislation for mandatory immunization
Published Thursday, July 11, 2019 1:03PM ADT
In light of the regional outbreak of measles, New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy says he'll use everything in his power to ensure students who can be vaccinated are.
FREDERICTON -- New Brunswick pharmacists are throwing their support behind legislation removing non-medical immunization exemptions in public schools and licensed early childcare facilities.
Christine Boudreau, president of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association, says while the province's recent measles outbreak is over, there's a need to remain vigilant.
A dozen people became ill with the disease, but have all recovered.
Paul Blanchard, the association's executive director, said immunization rates have dropped because of the anti-vaxxer movement and a more relaxed view of vaccines generally.
"Vaccines have been probably the most significant accomplishment over the last generation and now many people are taking it for granted," he said in an interview Thursday.
He said 76.4 per cent of children entering kindergarten met immunization requirements in 2017-18.
Some pharmacies have placed petitions calling for stricter immunization requirements.
"We feel there is a role we can play in educating the public. We want to show that the majority of the public supports vaccines," Blanchard said.
Dominic Cardy, the minister of education and early childhood education, introduced amendments to the Education Act and the Public Health Act last month.
The bill, known as Bill 39, would require students attending public schools and children in licensed early learning and child care facilities to provide either proof of immunization or a formal medical exemption.
If approved, the changes would come into effect Sept. 1, 2021.
"Vaccines are a safe and proven way to prevent the spread of many diseases, some of which can be life threatening, especially for individuals with compromised immune systems," Cardy said.
Public hearings on Bill 39 will take place Aug. 27-29 at the Legislative Assembly.
It's expected some people may argue against the bill as an infringement on their civil liberties, but Blanchard says the public good must sometimes take priority.
"There are precedents here for those kinds of things. You can't smoke in public now. You are bringing harm to the general community when you do that," Blanchard said.
"Sending kids to school when they are not immunized puts all the kids in the school system at risk," he said.
Vaccination obligatoire : les consultations publiques commencent mardi
Le projet de loi 39 rendrait la vaccination obligatoire chez les élèves du Nouveau-Brunswick, à moins d'une exemption médicale. Photo : Shutterstock
Mardi débute une consultation publique de trois jours au Nouveau-Brunswick sur le projet de loi 39. Plusieurs professionnels de la santé et d’autres intervenants doivent témoigner pour faire valoir leur position quant à la vaccination obligatoire chez les élèves de la province.
Le projet de loi 39 exigera, si adopté, que les élèves fréquentant une école publique ou une garderie éducative agréée au Nouveau-Brunswick produisent soit une preuve d’immunisation, soit une exemption médicale au moyen d’un formulaire signé par un professionnel de la santé. Il vise aussi à supprimer
les exemptions non médicales en matière de vaccination.
Mardi, mercredi et jeudi, le Comité permanent de modification des lois de l’Assemblée législative doit entendre les arguments des deux côtés de la médaille en ce qui concerne le projet de loi.
Plusieurs organismes reconnus et professionnels de la santé seront entendus lors de ces audiences. Le président de la Société médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, le Dr Serge Melanson, la médecin-hygiéniste en chef de la province, la Dre Jennifer Russell, et le défenseur des enfants, des jeunes et des aînés, Normand Bossé, témoigneront au cours de ces consultations.
Le directeur général de l’Association des pharmaciens du Nouveau-Brunswick, Paul Blanchard, sera également de la partie. Son association a d’ailleurs appuyé la vaccination obligatoire. Dans une déclaration publiée plus tôt ce mois-ci, la société médicale de la province a aussi affirmé appuyer les changements proposés par le projet de loi 39.
L’immunisation contre les maladies transmissibles est importante pour tout le monde, y compris ceux qui ont une exemption médicale qui les empêche d’obtenir un vaccin. Lorsque de vastes groupes de gens sont vaccinés, ils créent une immunité collective. En d’autres mots, la vaccination contre des maladies comme la rougeole aide à protéger tout le monde
, avait déclaré le Dr Melanson par communiqué.
À lire aussi :
Plusieurs organismes et personnes qui s'opposent à la vaccination obligatoire participeront aussi à la consultation publique. C’est le cas de Dena Churchill, une ancienne chiropraticienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse.
Mme Churchill a été accusée par son organisation professionnelle de 15 fautes graves et de conduite indigne d’une chiropraticienne. Les allégations se rapportaient à des théories concernant la vaccination et l’immunisation, deux sujets qui sont hors du champ de compétence de la chiropractie.
Le Collège des chiropraticiens de la Nouvelle-Écosse l’a condamnée à payer une amende de 100 000 $.
Mme Churchill a par ailleurs fermé sa pratique en plus d’avoir reconnu plus tôt cette année qu’elle était professionnellement incompétente
, et que cette incompétence
découlait d’une incapacité mentale
. Elle compte aussi, d’après sa page Facebook, mener une manifestation durant les audiences.
Le ministre de l'Éducation Dominic Cardy demande aux parents d'élèves de les faire vacciner.
Photo : Radio-Canada
Les consultations publiques sur la vaccination obligatoire au Nouveau-Brunswick s’ouvriront sur une allocution du ministre de l’Éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance, Dominic Cardy.
Ce dernier a rappelé lundi que les militants antivaccins peuvent menacer la santé des personnes les plus vulnérables.
« On parle ici de protéger les enfants avec un système immunitaire affaibli. Il y a un petit pourcentage d'enfants qui ne peuvent pas être vaccinés pour des raisons de santé. »
En avril, le ministre avait fait part de sa frustration envers le mouvement antivaccin. Il avait alors demandé aux parents du Nouveau-Brunswick de faire vacciner leurs enfants.
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