News Bite

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

With vaccination rates increasing, it seems as though COVID-19 related guidelines and recommendations are changing every other day. Your most recent highlights are as follows:

• Over 48% of Snohomish County residents 16 years of age or older are fully vaccinated
• Appointments are no longer needed at mass vaccination sites in Snohomish County, though they are encouraged. You can get more information about mass vaccination sites and set up an appointment here.
• Snohomish County and all other Washington counties are in Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery and a statewide reopening will begin on June 30th or sooner if over 70% of Washington residents 16 years and older are vaccinated.
• The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use in children 12-15 years old. Vaccination for children under 18 years old will require caregiver consent. Currently, Pfizer is the only COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved for individuals ages 12-17.  
• Updated CDC guidance states that fully vaccinated people can resume pre-pandemic activities unmasked both in and outdoors. However, rules for masking can differ at the state and local level, and businesses may still requiring masking regardless of vaccination status, so be sure to respect the rules of the venue you are visiting. For example, masks are still required regardless of vaccination status if you are on public transportation, at a medical or dental appointment, in a corrections facility, in a school and in other settings as specified locally or by the venue. See the guidance from CDC as well as more information from the DOH to learn more about safe activities and understand what it means to be fully vaccinated.   

Health Message Bite

Prenatal Oral Health

Did you know that every pregnant person needs to get a dental check-up? Dental care for pregnant people is particularly important because:

• Pregnancy makes people more prone to gum disease and cavities
• Untreated gum disease in pregnant people is linked to low birth weight and preterm births
• After the birth of their baby, people can pass cavity causing bacteria onto their child. Children of people with high levels of untreated tooth decay are 3x as likely to have tooth decay themselves

On the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website you can find a toolkit of resources to assist medical and dental clinics with patient education about the importance of prenatal oral health. Tools are available in multiple languages. Click here to access AAP's prenatal oral health toolkit.

Health Equity Bite

Community Water Fluoridation

The use of fluoride to prevent cavities is both safe and effective. Fluoride protects and strengthens tooth enamel, and can even reverse small cavities before fillings are needed. In fact, community water fluoridation was named by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20^th century, reducing the amount of childhood tooth decay by 18-40%. In addition, community water fluoridation also has the potential to reach people who are not served by other oral health preventive care, and multiple studies have identified community water fluoridation as an effective method to reduce racial and economic inequities in oral health. While 74% of Americans have access to fluoridated drinking water, only 56% of Washingtonians have the same benefit. Those without access primarily reside in rural, low-income, and underserved communities. Become an advocate for water fluoridation by educating yourself about its benefits, finding out if your water is fluoridated, and learning who makes decisions about water fluoridation in your community. 

To learn more about water fluoridation, visit www.washingtonwaterfluoridation.org. To find out if your water is fluoridated, visit the Department of Health Fluoride in Drinking Water webpage or contact your water district or water provider.