NMDA Journal Winter 2020-21

nmdental.org 13 continues on page 14  COVID by the Numbers even Ebola. Much ado about nothing, really. Every time there was a more severe flu, we were reminded of 1918 and the millions that died, but of course that was before we had medicines and modern health care. Surely this would get contained before it ever got to us. How could death and destruction be headed our way on such a sunny day? Somehow a hurricane feels much more mer- ciful than SARS-CoV-2. It, too, feels like slow motion, but continues to spin over us destroying as it goes and feeling far from over. Perhaps a vaccine or innovative treat- ment will provide some relief, but the effects on our society and economy will remain for some time. It’s too early for historical per- spective, but data is being gathered for analysis of the impact COVID-19 has already had will help us understand the challenges we face and recover faster. The American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute (HPI) gathers and analyzes data of many kinds. As practices closed last Spring due to the pandemic, HPI immedi- ately began surveilling the impact on den- tists and their practices. Sometimes the questions have changed or evolved as new issues emerged. The bi-weekly surveys looked at the impact of the pandemic on various demographics and practice models. Like a time-lapse film it shows the pandemic in fast motion. The entire report is available on the ADA’s website (www.ada.org/hpi ) but we will look at some highlights through early November and look at how New Mex- ico compares to national data during the week of November 2. The New Mexico Dental Association recom- mended that dentists limit their practices to urgent and emergent problems on March 16 due to a critical lack of PPE for frontline workers and emerging data that suggested that standard infection control practices were inadequate to prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus. The American Dental Association followed suit on March 17. Gov- ernor Lujan Grisham’s first issued a binding public health order, which legally limited practices on March 24. There was much controversy related to the definitions of “essential” and “emergency,” but almost all practices curtailed most treatment for nearly two months. During these weeks, the ADA, CDC, and NMDA reviewed emerging data to develop guidelines for reopening expanded dental care and assisted in the acquisition of necessary quantities of appropriate PPE. Although the public health order was renewed on May 1, a few days later, on May 4, the administration issued a 28.5% 53.9% Week of April 6 Week of April 20 Week of May 4 Week of May 18 Week of June 1 Week of June 15 Week of June 29 Week of July 13 Week of July 27 Week of August 10 Week of August 24 Week of September 7 Less than 5% 5-10% 11-24% 25-50% 51-75% 76% or more 84.8% 7.6% 7.7% 86.0% 59.0% 8.8% 7.3% 9.7% 9.6% 28.4% 6.9% 8.7% 18.3% 21.0% 16.6% 14.6% 29.0% 45.3% 10.5% 26.4% 53.6% 9.1% 25.9% 56.5% 7.7% 24.8% 60.7% 7.1% 23.7% 61.9% 21.8% 65.3% 22.7% 64.2% 29.7% 19.8% 8.4% 27.8% 8.6% How does this week compare to what was typical of your practice, in terms of...* Total Patient Volume *Note: This question did not appear to respondents who selected "Closed and not seeing any patients" in previous question. Total Patient Volume Week of September 21 Week of October 5 Week of October 19 Week of November 2 12.7% 25.1% 32.3% 21.7% 13.2% 6.4% 24.1% 31.5% 21.7% 15.2% 8.4% 24.7% 28.6% 19.5% 16.6% 8.2% 25.0% 27.5% 18.6% Less than 25% 25-50% 51-75% 76-85% 86-95% More than 95% Week of November 2 NM* 0.0% 11.8% 11.8% 29.4% 41.2% 5.9% Less than 25% 25-50% 51-75% 76-85% 86-95% More than 95% Week of March 23 Week of April 6 Week of April 20 Week of May 4 Week of May 18 Week of June 1 Week of June 15 Week of June 29 Week of July 13 Week of July 27 Week of August 10 Week of August 24 Week of September 7 Week of September 21 Week of October 5 Week of October 19 Week of November 2 7.1% 70.4% 19.7% 62.9% 33.8% 55.5% 41.7% 56.3% 41.6% 54.3% 44.5% 51.3% 47.6% 49.9% 48.8% 50.5% 48.3% 52.4% 46.8% 55.2% 43.8% 59.3% 39.4% 60.9% 37.7% 76.0% 18.9% 79.5% 17.6% 79.4% 17.2% 56.5% 27.9% 12.7% 28.5% 53.9% 10.8% 6.9% Open and business as usual Closed but seeing emergency patients only Closed and not seeing any patients Open but lower patient volume than usual What is the current status of your dental practice? All Respondents