Can dental workers be required to get shots?

Submit your questions about the

COVID-19 vaccines by emailing Lois Solomon at AskLois@sunsentinel.com.

Q. “I have a dental practice in Pompano Beach with nine employees. Can I require them to get the vaccine?” — Dr. Alan Slootsky

A. According to the Florida Dental Society, you can, because your practice is too small to be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you had more than

15, you would have to allow accommodations for staff members who have legitimate medical exemptions.

There are several federal agencies that have issued rulings regarding workplace vaccine requirements, and some are conflicting. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration allows employers to mandate an influenza vaccine, but the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has long recognized that employees have a right to refuse to take a vaccine because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical reason. In either case, there are no court rulings yet on such a requirement during

COVID-19.

In South Florida, Nova Southeastern University is the first large institution to announce a requirement that everyone has to be vaccinated, in this case students

and staff. But it looks like a vaccine mandate is not going to be commonplace among employers: Of 1,800 workplaces that answered questions for the Littler COVID-19 Vaccine Employer Survey published in February, only 6% said they planned to demand that their employees get their shots before they return to the office.

Q. “What is the status of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? When will more arrive in Florida?” — Heather, Fort Lauderdale

A. Those awaiting the J&J’s arrival have been on a roller coaster over the past few weeks. The latest news is good: About 300,000 doses are coming to Florida in the next two weeks, although after that, the future is unclear.

The arrival is tempered by the announcement on Wednesday that a large batch of vaccine made by a J&J partner, Emergent BioSolutions, can’t be used because it didn’t meet quality standards. J&J said it was still planning to distribute 100 million doses by the end of June and was “aiming to deliver those doses by the end of May.”

Many were disappointed in March when Johnson & Johnson announced supply would be limited in the coming weeks. The singleshot vaccine has been super-popular in Florida and across the country. J&J is working with several manufacturers to get the vaccine to market more quickly, including the pharmaceutical giant Merck. Merck’s manufacturing facility is expected to almost double J&J’s production capacity in the coming months.