Dental professionals are petitioning the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to prioritize them in the first phase of vaccine distribution, reports ABC affiliate WTVD.
As of Dec. 28, the online petition had received more than 900 signatures, nearing the goal of 1,000 signatures.
Ashley Mann, DDS, told WTVD that his staff constantly risk their health to care for patients.
According to the NCDHHS's latest guidelines, dental professionals can be a part of phase 1A if they work directly with COVID-19 patients. They can be included in phase 1B if they have two or more chronic conditions. If neither applies, dental professionals must wait until phase 2.
In response, the petition states, "This would mean that dental professionals would only be vaccinated after every adult in the state that has 2 or more chronic conditions are vaccinated. In short, dental professionals will be vaccinated months into the vaccination process."