Red Tape

The Pandemic and YOU

Have you had a doctor’s appointment during the pandemic? Was it in person or online? Have you, or has someone you know, received the COVID-19 vaccine? Did you notice any red tape while attending your appointment or trying to get vaccinated?

In the U.S., bureaucratic red tape hampered the initial COVID-19 response. Both the Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to relax some of their regulations or red tape so that health providers and pharmaceutical companies could respond more rapidly to the crisis (FDA 2020; HHS 2020). Once the COVID-19 vaccine was distributed, California created a waiver allowing dentists to circumvent the traditional red tape and administer the vaccine to patients (Luca 2021). For the average person, the change to the telemedicine regulations had the most immediate impact. Federal and state regulations were eased such that patients could virtually meet with their doctor instead of going to the office and risking possible infection.