Oral healthcare providers at the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine have received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Patient-facing faculty, residents, students, and staff participated. The vaccine was administered by residents within the Advanced Dental Education Program in Dental Anesthesiology with the support of nurses, pharmacists, and physicians from Stony Brook Medicine.
The School of Dental Medicine said that it has remained committed to the provision of patient care throughout the pandemic and that it has implemented numerous safety protocols to protect its oral healthcare providers, staff, and patients from infection.
According to the school, the vaccine’s availability is a vital step in disease prevention and will allow practitioners to more readily and safely provide treatment and services to those in need.
“I am truly grateful for all the hard work put in by doctors and scientists for us to have this opportunity,” said student Setareh Zareh.
“I’m very grateful to be among some of the first to receive the COVID vaccine,” said student Rocco Tedesco.
Stony Brook Medicine also has begun providing the vaccine to members of the larger healthcare community on Long Island, including patient-facing members of dental practices.
Soon, Stony Brook will be in motion as a designated New York State point of distribution for the vaccine.
Also, Stony Brook is the only Long Island site and one of two in the state to participate in a Phase 3 clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of a Novavax investigational vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.
“It has been an honor for our team to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” said interim dean Dr. Allan J. Kucine.
“We are proud to have continued to serve our community’s oral healthcare needs during the pandemic and now look forward to having this additional layer of protection to keep our team safe,” Kucine said.
“We appreciate the residents of our Advanced Dental Education Program in Dental Anesthesiology for their administration of the vaccine,” he said.
Related Articles
AGD Urges Federal Government to Allow Dentists to Administer COVID-19 Vaccine
California Dentists Shielded from Liability in COVID-19 Vaccine Administration
How Dentists Can Administer the COVID-19 Vaccine
