The Compliance Divas Podcast
Our podcast covers current topics such as infection prevention and control, OSHA and HIPAA compliance for dentistry. We discuss the latest regulatory information, answer frequently asked questions and give suggestions for dental practices to make compliance easy and sustainable. The Compliance Divas are a trusted source for consistent, accurate information based upon current guidelines, standards, science, and recommendations.
The Compliance Divas Podcast
#126 Infectious Disease Updates September 2023
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Dental practices and team members must always be vigilant about the potential for transmission of respiratory and other infectious diseases while caring for patients. This episode will update listeners on the September updates from the CDC on COVID-19, RSV and Influenza. Stay in the know with The Compliance Divas!
- CDC Respiratory Virus Updates https://bit.ly/3tg4ud9
- FDA COVID-19 Vaccines for 2023-2024 https://bit.ly/45SwuC9
- CDC Respiratory Syncytial Virus https://bit.ly/3PHt6Eg
- Pfizer - Abrysvo RSV Vaccine https://bit.ly/3ZjUFXv
- CDC Seasonal Flu Vaccines https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/flushot.html
Welcome.
SPEAKER_01I'm Leslie Cannon. I'm Mary Gavoni.
SPEAKER_00I'm Linda Harvey. I'm Olivia Juan. And together we are the Compliance Divas.
SPEAKER_01Welcome to the Compliance Divas podcast. I'm Mary Gavoni and I'll be the moderator for this episode. We're going to talk about some infection control updates, and we know that some of our listeners may be tired of those, but there's always something new that we need to be concerned about with infection control. The Compliance Divas bring clarity and simplicity to compliance by navigating the regulatory world to keep you on course. You can subscribe to the Compliance Divas podcast through your favorite podcast channel or on our website, thecompliancedeivas.com. All of the resources we mentioned during this episode will be on the show notes for the episode and also can be found on the Compliance Divas website. You can always submit questions by email to support at the compliancedivas.com. The bad news is that COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations are increasing, and the CDC is predicting yet another triple demic of flu, RSV, and COVID. I don't think, and I imagine the rest of the divas would agree that we are not going to be back in pandemic mode, but we need to be on alert mode, which is why we're bringing this information in this episode. So we're going to review what dental teams need to consider to be prepared and not only protect the patients, but protect themselves. And we're going to start with Olivia. What do we know about the COVID-19 variants?
SPEAKER_00Well, Mary, we look to CDC for guidance. And for our listeners, we want to refer them to this update that CDC released on September 15th. And it indicates that they're posting updates on respiratory viruses every week because, as you mentioned, it might not be just COVID that we're concerned about, but it's more of a triple threat. So CDC is currently tracking a SARS-CoV-2 variant called BA 2.86 and trying to better understand this variant and how it could affect the public health. And so it's not that they're looking at a pandemic of this variant, but we do need to be aware and cautious because, like other viruses, transmission occurs wherever people gather. And so with the holiday season coming up and fast approaching, uh, we certainly don't want to see people getting sick and being out of work and transmitting it. The other thing, Mary, I wanted to mention, is that uh CDC had another helpful update on August 30th. And it talks a little bit about the tracking the presence of this new variant as well. And it has been identified in at least four states in the US in samples from either people or wastewater. And they pointed out that viruses, including COVID, they change over time. And the genetic changes is what we are referring to as variants. And so this new variant is very different than previous variants, could behave differently, and also have potential changes on how contagious they are and how well it responds to treatment. So CDC is looking at this variant and has some recommendations, including vaccines, which I know Linda will give us more information on, but some basic common sense approach. If you're sick, stay home. And if you get sick, you should be tested for COVID and seek treatment. And also choose to wear a mask, wear a high-quality mask and improve ventilation and wash your hands. So, Mary, I know I'm traveling this week, as many of the divas are for their work assignments, and I'll definitely be wearing a mask on the plane. Matter of fact, I'm going to bring an N95 because I don't want to get sick either.
SPEAKER_01Good point. I just talked to a good friend of mine who um was flying to uh a vacation location and was sitting next to someone who was coughing and sneezing the whole flight. And when they got to their vacation um destination, she developed after a couple of days a cough and tested positive for COVID. So many of these variants are easily spreading. They're not making people as sick as in the beginning of the pandemic, and we're not sounding alarm bells that we think we're going back into a pandemic. It's just we know that they're spreading and we need to be careful. So, Linda, talk to us about the um COVID-19 vaccine and um any news we need to know about boosters.
SPEAKER_03Well, yes, Mary, you know, I recognize and so do all the divas that the vaccine was very controversial when it first came out. So some folks may still be sitting on the fence. However, the FDA has approved and authorized for emergency use that the updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for this current flu and cold season 2023-2024. And it's still recommended by the CDC for healthcare workers to be vaccinated. And the these companies and the FDA are trying to keep the vaccines as updated as possible to provide better protection from COVID-19 caused by the current circulating variants that Olivia is talking about. So it's better to head into the fall and just be protected, even just when you consider what happened to your friend. That could happen to any of us. We've all gotten um very used to going back to the way, the old normal that we knew. And there's that normal is is gone now because we're keeping track of just these changes, not as you said, to think that we're going to be in a pandemic every other season or every other month, even, but just to be practical about staying healthy. So another thing um on the CEC website that we will post for everyone is just some information on these vaccines and the fact sheets. And then who needs to be vaccinated? Definitely healthcare workers. It's recommended that healthcare workers be vaccinated and that um any anybody who's six months uh or older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or might become pregnant in the future. So it's important to talk to your physician if you're unclear and get medical advice, but it's also important to protect ourselves, Mary, and vaccinations are one way to do that.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Thank you, Linda. And you're exactly right, there was a lot of controversy. It the vaccines sort of became a political football, um, so to speak, um, in the early days of them being introduced, but hopefully the vaccines will be less controversial and people will be more apt to want to get them. I've been asked by a couple of my clients who want to know whether they should get the flu vaccine and the COVID booster at the same time. And I think that's a very personal decision. You need to discuss that with your healthcare provider or talk to your pharmacist and see how they feel about it. Um, but certainly we should consider getting them. So we're going to switch gears away from COVID a little bit and have Leslie discuss for us some recent developments with RSV respiratory syncitial virus.
SPEAKER_02Well, Mary, as Olivia had mentioned, we are hearing from the experts that we might be headed toward a triple pandemic or where we have tridemic with uh flu, COVID, and RSV. So the good news is there's a vaccination that is available for RSV, and that vaccination helps protect adults 60 years and older from RSV disease. Older adults are at greater risk than younger adults for serious complications as a result of RSV because immune systems weaken with age. So the I'm I'm one that falls into that category. And I had my flu vaccine and my RSV vaccine at the same time. I had one in each arm. So uh you can have it, they gave me a choice of uh one both in the same arm or one in each arm. And I thought, well, we're gonna see which one, which one makes my arm sore. And I have to say that uh the RSV did make my arm sore a little bit for about a day. So I knew that I had to have a vaccination and I kind of noticed it as I was at nighttime when I went to bed and I laid on that side. Uh my flu vaccination didn't hurt in the least. And at the time, we didn't have the COVID vaccination, uh, had not gone through the CDC approval, although it was FDA cleared. So now that that is available, I'll be going back to get my COVID vaccination and I'll feel like I'm better protected. But CDC also mentioned back in August on the 3rd that there was a powerful new tool for protecting infants from the leading cause of hospitalization, which seems to be RSV at this time. And the vaccination can be provided to infants. It has been cleared uh by FDA and also it is approved by CDC. So we do have a uh new vaccination that will help to combat uh combat that. And they're talking about um infants underneath the age of eight months old, as well as well as those with older babies, but under the age of eight months old will be likely that have the best protection from RSV by being vaccinated. And uh anyone who has uh babies that are older than eight months old should talk to their healthcare provided provider for what extra layers of protection they should add against RSV this season.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, Leslie. And I don't know if maybe they've changed the terminology now, but I think initially the CDC was referring to that treatment for infants as an antibody therapy. Um, and so it but it doesn't really matter just in case somebody was doing some research about it, but that is so great to be able to protect the little ones who end up being hospitalized when they have those severe respiratory symptoms. So the last part of our tridemic or our triple demic that we may experience, of course, is influenza. And we've had flu vaccines around for years and years, and because the flu vaccine or the flu virus uh mutates so much and certain strains are prevalent in certain years, we have to get a new flu shot every year. And some people are reluctant to get them, they don't think that they work, they got their flu shot and they got sick anyway, and so they think they don't, it doesn't help them. But the reality is from one year to the next, if the the calculations that are done on formulating the vaccine are incorrect and they formulate the vaccine against strains that aren't the prevalent strains, then sort of all bets are off you're not going to get a lot of protection, but you still will get some, and you probably will have lesser symptoms and may not require hospitalization. One of the questions or one of the comments I hear a lot, and I'm sure the rest of you do as well, is that people will say, Well, I got the flu shot and I got sick right away after I got the flu shot, or I got sick anyway. Well, a couple of things you need to think about. Number one, it takes two weeks to develop antibodies in most vaccines, including influenza. So you may have already been exposed to influenza or something else before you got your flu vaccine. Flu vaccines are not live virus vaccines, they are killed virus vaccines. So you can't get the flu from the vaccination. And again, if the if the success or the the viability of the vaccine is not um good because there are different or mutated strains, then you may get sick anyway. But again, you'll probably have less symptoms. But you should always, as we said before, check with your healthcare provider, make sure that there's no underlying reason why you shouldn't get a flu vaccine. And now is the time to do it, especially if you're gonna plan on traveling over the um holidays and um you want to have that protection. Remember, it takes two weeks to develop antibodies. So, any final thoughts from any of the divas on what's happening in infection control and vaccinations? Linda?
SPEAKER_03Mary, I think it's it's just such a good idea for all healthcare workers, including dental teams, to really just take care of themselves. You know, offices are concerned about patients calling out because they're sick, which is fine. We certainly don't want sick patients coming in. And that's going to happen to the team members. So to protect that scheduling time, it makes good sense to be vaccinated. While the employers cannot mandate it, they can recommend it or encourage it among their teams. And um, I think it's just a good practice all the way around, Mary. So hopefully everybody will stay safe this season and and well.
SPEAKER_01Yes, absolutely. Thank you for sharing that. And when so many teams are already shorthanded because they can't find employees now. If they have employees getting sick from flu or from COVID, and especially from COVID, because they need to be away um from the office for a number of days until they're considered not infectious anymore, then boy, that could really um cause all kinds of problems. And we are going to put in our um our references and resources in the show notes and on the website some information about all the new tools that the CDC has available now for tracking influenza, tracking disease. You can do it from your phone, you could do it even from your Apple Watch if you have one. And so it's just great access to information. So thank you for joining us today for this episode. We bring clarity and simplicity to compliance by navigating the regulatory compliance world to keep you on course. You can submit questions by email to thecompliancedivas.com. And again, resources will be listed in the show notes and on our website at the compliancedivas.com. See you next time.