NMDA Journal Winter 2020-21

nmdental.org 15 COVID by the Numbers stable than patient volumes in the Fall, but generally correlate. Employment Among the most painful parts of the shut- down was the necessity to furlough or layoff staff. As the pandemic began most offices anticipated a shutdown of only a couple weeks. As it became apparent that it would last longer and that federal financial relief would be available to practices, most offices did stop paying their staff temporar- ily. After reopening guidelines were released in early May, staff returned rapidly with more than 90 percent back to full time by July and only 2 percent not paying any staff. Unfortunately, younger dentists that are employees have had the slowest comeback. That has remained fairly consistent since reopening. PPE Late in the summer, HPI began tracking the availability of PPE to practices. As might be expected, N95/KN95 respirators were ini- tially in very short supply and continue to be an item of concern. Reuse and recycling sta- bilized this number somewhat and suppliers were then reporting the availability of small quantities. The numbers are not markedly different for gowns and gloves which were also generally available in smaller quanti- ties. The trend with disinfecting supplies, which were not a problem earlier in the pan- demic, was toward increasing backorders. This was alarming to most practices. In November, reports of impending shortages of gloves and familiar disinfectants in the new year had practices concerned. In New Mexico, gowns remain a particular problem. Most offices have been reusing N95 masks to the maximum extent possible and have received some replacements. In Novem- ber, there were increasing reports of difficulty getting disinfecting supplies and gloves, but most offices still had some on hand. Profitability The cost of measures needed to work dur- ing the pandemic have taken their toll on offices. Ninety-two percent of practices report an increase in costs since the begin- ning of the pandemic. These costs include not only price increases for standard PPE and additional PPE, not necessary prior to the pandemic, but also equipment pur- chases, like extra-oral vacuums, air filtra- tion units and physical barriers in the office. Is your dental practice paying staff this week? 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 17.5% 77.0% 12.4% 84.8% 10.3% 87.3% 8.2% 89.8% 7.1% 91.6% 93.8% 94.0% 94.0% 94.7% 93.2% 7.7% 91.1% 7.8% 90.9% 28.1% 44.6% 27.3% 43.8% 45.4% 10.7% 45.4% 41.9% 12.7% 32.5% 35.9% 31.6% 26.5% 58.1% 15.4% Yes, fully Yes, partially Not paying any staff All Respondents How many days' worth of the following PPE does your practice have at this time? (Week of November 2.) All Respondents N95/KN95 Masks Surgical Masks Face Shields Gowns Disinfecting Supplies Gloves 60.1% 10.7% 69.8% 74.9% 6.5% 59.5% 11.5% 56.4% 9.6% 59.3% 10.2% 25.8% 22.9% 16.2% 21.3% 32.3% 29.3% 0 Days 1 to 7 Days 8 to 14 Days More than 14 Days Not Sure NewMexico 0 Days 1–7 Days 8–14 Days >14 Days Not Sure N95/KN95 0.0% 5.9% 35.3% 58.8% 0.0% Surgical Masks 0.0% 11.8% 35.3% 52.9% 0.0% Face Shields 0.0% 5.9% 35.3% 58.8% 0.0% Gowns 17.6% 11.8% 29.4% 41.2% 0.0% Disinfecting Supplies 0.0% 11.8% 35.3% 52.9% 0.0% Gloves 0.0% 17.6% 29.4% 52.9% 0.0% continues on page 16 