DOCSLIB.ORG

COVID-19 Update

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
COVID-19 Update August 11, 2020 Thought of the Day There is no such thing as failure, there's just giving up too soon. Jonas Salk (Virologist, Medical researcher) Virginia Tomorrow’s Call: Nursing Home Antigen Testing Guidance/COVIDWISE App – (8/12-11 am) On tomorrow’s member call, Shaina Bernard (VDH) will provide an overview of the Virginia Department of Health’s new Interim Point-of-Care Antigen Testing Recommendations for Nursing Homes. The call information is below. Point-of-Care antigen testing key points include: • Antigen tests are known to be less sensitive than molecular tests - Amount of antigen in a sample may decrease as the duration of illness increases - Negative results, from patients with symptom onset beyond five days, should be treated as presumptive and confirmation with a molecular assay, if necessary, for patient management, may be performed • Nursing homes performing POC tests must have an active CLIA Certificate of Waiver - More information can be found on the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification website • Nursing homes that perform POC tests will be responsible for reporting results to public health Jeff Stover (VDH) will also provide a brief overview of the COVIDWISE app. Nursing Home and Hospice COVID 19 Supplemental Payments Summary 8/7/2020 Transactions (8/14/2020 Payment) Below is a summary regarding the data submitted by nursing homes for the COVID19 temporary supplemental payment increase of $20 per patient day. This summary includes all nursing home data submitted between July 14, 2020 and July 31, 2020 for dates of service from March 12 to June 30 that has not previously been processed for payment. The $20 per diem COVID payments will be incorporated into rate setting for dates of service from July onward. Reconciliation for March-June 2020 service dates have not yet been scheduled at this time. • A total of 28 unique nursing home NPIs were submitted. Of these 28 nursing home NPIs: - Twenty-eight nursing home NPIs were included for payment - Eleven submitted hospice patients - Six submitted PACE patients Summarized payment and reported patient days are below: Reminder: Virginia Long Term Care Hurricane Preparedness in a COVID-19 Environment Webinar The Virginia Healthcare Emergency Management Program, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, will discuss Virginia’s Long Term Care Mutual Aid Plan and preparing for hurricane season during the COVID- 19 pandemic, including sheltering in place, evacuations, and medical surge. (August 12 | 2-3 pm) Register Reminder: Nursing Home NHSN Reporting As of Monday, August 3, 180 nursing homes have conferred rights to VDH in National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). According to the Virginia Department of Health, 285 (out of 287) Virginia SNFs are currently reporting COVID-19 data to NHSN. VDH requested that we remind members to share their NHSN data with VDH - click here for instructions. Licensed but not certified nursing homes are not required to report data to CMS, but they may report to NHSN and are encouraged to confer rights to VDH. Reporting through NHSN is one of many criteria for a nursing home to enter Reopening Phase I. Please refer to the June 5 memo for additional information. Per the Code of Virginia (§32.1-35.1), data required to be reported to the NHSN to meet CMS requirements should be shared with VDH through the NHSN system. In order for VDH to view data from Long-Term Care Facilities reporting in NHSN, each facility has to join the VDH NHSN group. VDH Provides Additional Respiratory Fit Testing Train-the-Trainer Sessions Throughout the State The Virginia Department of Health is providing additional regional Respiratory Fit Testing Train-the-Trainer courses. The course purpose is to ensure that each health district and medical practice have qualified staff to provide respirator fit testing. In addition, the attendee can train others in the proper procedures for fit testing. This training is for qualitative testing using a hood and not quantitative testing. Everyone that attends the free course needs to have: 1. Completed the OSHA Medical Questionnaire form 2. Secure physicians or other licensed healthcare professional’s signature on the Medical Recommendation form. 3. Bring your N95 Fit Test Kit and N95 Respirator to training – See an example Click here to register (Course ID 1046592) - Training Dates and locations include: August 13, 2020 - Dinwiddie Community Enhancement Center (Petersburg) August 17, 2020 - Eastern Shore Regional Fire Training Center August 18, 2020 - Norfolk Health Department August 20, 2020 - Virginia State Police Training Academy (Richmond) August 25, 2020 - Harrisonburg Rescue Squad August 26, 2020 - Department of Social Services (Fairfax) September 1, 2020 - Virginia Highlands Community College (Abingdon) September 2, 2020 - Roanoke Valley Regional Fire-EMS Training Center VDH wants to hire around 100 workers to enforce COVID-19 guidelines Having received upward of 23,500 complaints about businesses failing to comply with Gov. Ralph Northam’s coronavirus regulations, the Virginia Department of Health wants 100 temporary workers to help respond. The agency is submitting a $6 million request to Northam’s administration for the positions and travel and equipment costs, said Julie Henderson, director of VDH’s Office of Environmental Health Services. Read the RTD Article Long Term Care VHASS Daily Situation Report (Click here to view public dashboard) • Licensed Nursing Facilities reported 522 confirmed COVID-19 residents. • Facilities reported 712 residents pending COVID-19 test results. • Licensed Nursing Facilities reported a total of 3,191 confirmed COVID-19 residents recovered (cumulative). • PPE: Four facility reported difficulty obtaining PPE in the next 72 hours - 0 facilities need face shields - 3 facilities need N95 masks - 1 facilities need gloves - 0 facility need isolation gowns - 0 facilities need surgical masks • 46 of 286 facilities did not update VHASS in 72+ hours (84% response rate). You Asked, We Answered! Adult Day Revised VDH Covid-19 Guidance for Day Programs The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) updated its COVID-19 Interim guidance for Group/Congregate Day Program Settings. These programs include adult day programs and any other place where groups congregate for extended periods but do not reside. More Adult Day Transportation Question: Access2 Care is the new transportation vendor that Medicaid has contracted with in place of Southeast trans for Anthem - do you have contact information when they are not able to find a provider to transport? DMAS Response: They currently have the contract with Anthem to transport Medicaid members for DMAS. If you have transportation concerns, we encourage you to reach out to Access2Care, first, by calling their Ride Assist line at (855) 325-7581 Option 1. If you are not able to receive a resolution, then please feel free to contact DMAS' Transportation Unit at [email protected] ---- Point of Care Testing Question: Can we bill for point of care testing? Answer: CMS stated in the MLN Matters article that Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans would pay for diagnostic lab testing of residents. Antigen tests are diagnostic, so then the question becomes does point-of-care qualify as “lab?” When explaining in the FAQs about lab reporting requirements, CMS used language that seemed to indicate a lab included point-of-care testing sites such as the nursing home. Additionally, we know that nursing homes must have the lab (CLIA) certificate or waiver and must adhere to lab reporting. So it would seem that these point of care antigen tests would count as diagnostic lab tests, but we’ve not seen the question asked and answered explicitly. ---- Surveyor Testing Question: Are surveyors being tested for COVID-19 and how frequently? OLC Response: Surveyors are not being tested at this time - testing is not required by CMS or VDH ---- Surveyor Restrictions Question: Are there restrictions/parameters for surveyors to go from a building with known positive cases to one that has no positive cases? OLC Response: Surveyors wear full PPE while in the facilities. Their time in the facilities is limited with no direct resident contact. The surveyors perform daily self-screening and also participate in screening upon entering facilities. The surveyors have PPE with them and dispose/change PPE when going from one building to another. Question: Are surveyors being required to wear specific PPE when they survey SNFs, or does that vary with the county case rate/positive status or other specific criteria in each location? OLC Response: The surveyors have been issued full PPE which consists of fit-tested N95 masks, face shields, head coverings, gowns, gloves and shoe covers. The surveyors wear full PPE in every facility, regardless of the case rate or positive status of the facility or surrounding location. ---- Nursing Home Reopening FAQs The Virginia Department of Health Nursing Home Reopening FAQs address: • Testing • PPE • Infection Prevention and Control, • Resident Placement/Cohorting • Phase Progression and Regression LeadingAge Virginia in the News! Virginia’s Nursing Homes Prepare for Sweeping New Testing Requirement In a July 29 letter to Dr. Brett Giroir, the U.S. assistant secretary for health, LeadingAge — a national association of nonprofit aging services providers, including nursing homes — pointed out that antigen tests have a 20 percent false negative rate. That’s led other federal agencies to recommend a follow-up PCR test in the case of a negative result. Dana Parsons, vice president and legislative counsel for LeadingAge Virginia, said facilities are still waiting for finalized guidance from the Virginia Department of Health on how antigen testing should be used in a nursing home setting. Read the Virginia Mercury Article Special Education around COVID-19 Complimentary Webinars & Calls CEU LeadingAge Virginia Education Opportunities The full list of educational offerings can be found here. LeadingAge National Daily Online Updates – Moving to Twice a Week LeadingAge daily calls will move to Mondays at Wednesdays at 3:30 pm beginning in August.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • COVID-19: a Weekly Health Care Update from Washington May 4-8, 2020 in BRIEF DEEP DIVE
    COVID-19: A Weekly Health Care Update from Washington May 4-8, 2020 IN BRIEF What Happened This Week: The Senate returned to Washington this week and conducted a handful of COVID-related hearings – all with modified layouts in an effort to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The Trump Administration posted several resources online for providers and facilities seeking clarification on the distribution of Provider Relief Funds. The Department also announced the distribution of over $500 million in funding under the recently enacted Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to expand COVID-19 testing nationwide. Members of the House of Representatives still have not returned, but the Democratic majority continues to put the finishing touches on another round of legislation to respond to the pandemic. What to Expect Next Week: Expect the Senate to reconvene in Washington next week. The House schedule is still fluid, although it’s possible that Members could be called on to return to Washington as well. It’s also possible that House Democratic Leadership will reveal the details of their next COVID-19 legislative response proposal (CARES Act “2.0”). DEEP DIVE Senate Returns to Washington After Five Weeks of Working Remotely Senators returned to Washington on Monday, May 4 after working remotely for weeks due to the coronavirus. In an effort to pick up with business as usual, the chamber conducted a handful of hearings this week, including one held by members of the Senate HELP Committee to examine new coronavirus tests. Witnesses included NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins and BARDA Acting Director Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • The Opioid Epidemic and Emerging Public Health Policy Priorities
    OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND EMERGING PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY PRIORITIES PRESENTED TO THE AMA NATIONAL ADVOCACY CONFERENCE February 13, 2019 ADMIRAL BRETT P. GIROIR, M.D. Assistant Secretary for Health and Senior Advisor for Opioid Policy THE STATE OF OPIOID MISUSE IN AMERICA (2017) 11.4 million 2.1 million 53.1% people misused opioids people had an opioid obtained the last in the past year use disorder pain reliever they - 11.1 million misused pain relievers - 1.7 million people with a prescription misused from a pain reliever use disorder - 886,000 used heroin friend or relative - 652,000 people with a heroin use - 562,000 both misused pain disorder relievers and heroin - 252,000 had both pain reliever and 36% heroin use disorders from a prescription from a healthcare Main reasons for opioid misuse: Pain 62.6% provider OFFICE OF THE NSDUH, 2017 Data; published Sept. 2018 ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH 2 U.S. DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS THE MOST CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE OF OUR TIME 80,000 70,000 70,237 All Drug 60,000 Overdoses 50,000 47,600 40,000 Opioid 30,000 Overdoses 20,000 10,000 0 OFFICE OF THE SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statics System, Mortality ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH 3 OVERDOSE MORTALITY BY CLASS OF DRUG ADAPTED FROM CDC STATISTICS, JANUARY 2019 NAT & SEMI – SYNTHETIC PSYCHO- HEROIN METHADONE COCAINE SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS STIMULANTS JUNE 2017 * 16,622 15,546 3,357 26,057 13,367 9,446 JUNE 2018 * 15,283 13,929 3,283 31,551 15,095 11,741 Change -8.06% -10.04% -2.20% 21.08% 12.93% 24.30% https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm >70% of Cocaine Deaths also have Opioids Detected OFFICE OF THE • Number of predicted deaths for the 12 months ending in June of the indicated year ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH 4 4 SHOCKING LEVELS OF ILLICIT DRUG SMUGGLING Feds make largest fentanyl bust in U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • What You Need to Know | President Trump's
    From: Caliguiri, Laura To: Kimberly, Brad; Lynch, Sarah; Capobianco, Abigail Subject: FW: What You Need To Know | President Trump’s Coronavirus Response Efforts Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 8:53:05 PM From: Mitchell, Austin A. EOP/WHO (b) (6)@who.eop.gov> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 8:51 PM Subject: What You Need To Know | President Trump’s Coronavirus Response Efforts What You Need To Know | President Trump’s Coronavirus Response Efforts ________________________________ President Trump and his Administration are working every day to protect the health and wellbeing of Americans and respond to the coronavirus. WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT APPROACH The President signed the CARES Act, providing unprecedented and immediate relief to American families, workers, and businesses. President Trump declared a national emergency, inviting States, territories, and tribes to access over $42 billion in existing funding. President Trump signed initial legislation securing $8.3 billion for coronavirus response. President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, ensuring that American families and businesses impacted by the virus receive the strong support they need. To leverage the resources of the entire government, the President created a White House Coronavirus Task Force to coordinate response. The Vice President named Dr. Deborah Birx to serve as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator. At the request of President Trump, FEMA is leading federal operations on behalf of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center has been activated to its highest level in support of coronavirus response. The President held a teleconference with other G20 leaders to coordinate coronavirus response.
    [Show full text]
  • Agenda and Materials
    Council of Principal Investigators Mail Stop 2404 • College Station, TX 77843-2404 • (979) 458-1861 • [email protected] • cpi.tamu.edu Texas A&M University - Texas A&M Health Science Center - Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station - Texas A&M AgriLife Research – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service – Texas A&M Transportation Institute CPI Meeting Agenda March 4, 2015 (11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.) Rudder Tower, room 601 (11:30 – 11:45) Lunch Call to order/Opening remarks – Dr. Mary Bryk, CPI Chair Texas A&M Chemical Laboratory Safety Committee – Dr. Susanne Talcott, CPI member and Associate Professor, Nutrition and Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Update from Mr. Michael O’Quinn, Vice President for Government Relations, Texas A&M University Update from Dr. Brett Giroir, Executive Vice President and CEO, Texas A&M Health Science Center Other business – Dr. Mary Bryk, CPI Chair (1:15) Adjournment Attachments: March CPI newsletter; presentatoin slides 2014‐15 CPI roster: Chair — Mary Bryk, COALS ● Vice Chair— Helene Andrews‐Polymenis , Medicine ● Past Chair — Niall Slowey, Geosciences ● AgriLife – Non‐COALS — Ambika Chandra, Jamie Foster ● AgriLife Extension Service — Juan Anciso ● Architecture — Ergun Akleman ● BCD —y Ja Groppe ● Bush School — Laurie Paarlberg ● Business — Arun Sen ● COALS — Clinton Allred, Joseph Awika, Craig Kaplan, Penny Riggs, Susanne Talcott, Heather Wilkinson ● Education – Jeffrey Liew ● Engineering —Jorge Alvarado, Ulisses Braga‐Neto, Tahir Cagin, Jaime Grunlan, Arum Han, Tony Hsieh, Lawrence Rauchwerger,
    [Show full text]
  • Ending the HIV Epidemic: a Plan for America
    AJPH Podcast—January 2020 Ending the HIV Epidemic: A plan for America. Interview of Admiral Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary of Health. Alfredo Morabia BG We believe, and this is by sophisticated modeling, pretty sophisticated modeling at the CDC, that if we achieve the targets that we’re outlining, we could reduce new cases by 75% within five years and 90% within ten years. You know, as you get to the first 50 and 75%, it gets harder and harder to make that reduction as you move forward, so it’ll probably take us another five years to get from 75 to 90%. But, I absolutely believe we can get a 50 to 75% reduction in five years, but we have some really important leading indicators that we’re going to post and make public, transparent for everyone, so that they know probably in the first quarter of 2020, we have that on the website. [musical interlude] AM Hello, welcome, this is the January 2020 podcast of the American Journal of Public Health. In the January issue of AJPH, editors Farzana Kapadia and Stewart Landers have commissioned a set of papers discussing a commentary prepared by Admiral Brett Giroir, the Assistant Secretary of Health who is leading the public health initiative entitled Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. Over almost 50 journal pages, researchers and public health officers and practitioners raise questions about the plan regarding stakeholders, hard-to-reach populations, stigma against LGBTQ people and people who inject drugs, the obstacles of low insurance coverage and lack of Medicaid expansion.
    [Show full text]
  • RADM Michael Weakhee Becomes Director of the Indian Health Service
    2020 COA Award Recipients Page 14 WWW.COAUSPHS.ORG COAUSPHS.ORG SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX ESTE VOLUME 58, ISSUE 5 | JUNE/JULY 2020. from the RADM Michael Weakhee Executive Becomes Director of the Director Jacqueline Rychnovsky, Indian Health Service PhD, RN, CPNP, FAANP Captain (ret.), Nurse Corps, US Navy RADM Michael Weakhee, a long-time member of COA, was sworn in as Director Virtual Headquarters of the Indian Health Service (IHS) on 8 Greetings from what is still May 2020 by ADM Brett Giroir. Weakhee the virtual headquarters of the had been confirmed by the US Senate Commissioned Officers Association on 21 April. RADM Weakhee, an enrolled of the U.S. Public Health Service member of the Zuni Tribe, had been (COA)! Just like many of you, the serving as Acting Director of the IHS. COA staff have been working More PHS Commissioned Corps officers virtually since March due to the are assigned to the Indian Health Service ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (1655) than to any other entity or agency You’ve welcomed us by video into within the federal government. your homes to keep association business moving forward, and for RADM Weakhee was born in the that we are grateful. It’s been fun to Shiprock, NM, Public Health Service get to know many of you through Hospital on the Navaho reservation, so this manner although it doesn’t he became familiar with the IHS at an take the place of what would have early age. RADM Weakhee joined the been face-to-face conversations United States Air Force as a public health at the annual symposium.
    [Show full text]
  • COA's Legislative Affairs Committee Returns to Action
    MEDDAC-AK Nurse Practitioner of the Year Page 13 WWW.COAUSPHS.ORG COAUSPHS.ORG SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX ESTE VOLUME 58, ISSUE 6 | AUGUST 2020. from the COA’s Legislative Affairs Executive Committee Returns to Director Jacqueline Rychnovsky, Action PhD, RN, CPNP, FAANP Captain (ret.), Nurse Corps, US Navy by Judy Rensberger available to civilians, and (3) an exception in the new immigration law that would After a long hiatus, the Commissioned permit au pairs from abroad to continue Mask-to-Mask in DC Officers Association’s (COA) Legislative I was in Washington, DC last week for to come to the U.S. to live with USPHS Affairs Committee is preparing for action several meetings and had the chance families and care for their children. (See once Congress returns from its own to visit the Commissioned Officers Legislative Update in this issue.) Summer break. COA’s core mission is to Association (COA) headquarters work with the U.S. Congress on behalf Amending Title 42 building for the first time. As some of you know, I was recruited and of the USPHS Commissioned Corps, The biggest legislative challenge before onboarded through a completely both active-duty and retired. Essential to us, however, is to obtain a change in virtual environment. My first trip back fulfilling that mission is COA’s Legislative Title 42 that would put USPHS on an to DC since March was surreal. Not Affairs Committee. equal footing with the other services surprising, it was easier than normal Leadership in terms of personal leave available to driving through what is known as the officers following frequent, high-stress “DMV”—the District of Columbia, Two members of the COA Board of deployments to communities affected by Maryland and Virginia.
    [Show full text]
  • CMS Snapshot October 1-8, 2020 Delivered to You by the Partner Relations Group in the Office of Communications
    CMS Snapshot October 1-8, 2020 Delivered to you by the Partner Relations Group in the Office of Communications All releases below are from 2pm Thursday, October 1 through 2pm Thursday, October 8, 2020. News Releases *October 1- HHS Teams Up with The Rockefeller Foundation to Share Best Practices for Increased COVID-19 Testing. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and The Rockefeller Foundation have signed an agreement to identify and share effective approaches for using rapid point-of-care (POC) antigen tests to screen for COVID-19 in communities, with a focus on safely reopening K-12 schools. The partnership establishes a pilot program with select cities and states in The Rockefeller Foundation's Testing Solutions Group (TSG), a network of public officials devoted to rapidly scaling COVID-19 testing, tracing, and tracking in their communities. *October 5- HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir to Participate in the World Health Organization Executive Board Special Session on COVID-19. The World Health Organization is hosting a special session of its Executive Board (EB) to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and response. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D., will lead a small delegation from the United States attending the meeting through a virtual platform. In addition to HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development will participate in the EB Special Session. *October 5- Statement from Assistant Secretary for Health ADM Brett P. Giror: Update on Implementation of Resolution WHA73.1 on the COVID-19 Response.
    [Show full text]
  • COVID-19 Updates Memo
    October 13, 2020 TO: ALL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, COUNTY EXECUTIVES, COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS AND COUNTY CLERKS FROM: CHERYL SUBLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RACHEL MASSOUD, POLICY ANALYST ADAM SCHWIEBERT, POLICY ANALYST RE: OCTOBER 13, 2020 COVID-19 UPDATES Key Resources 1. CCAO CARES Act Funds Resources Webpage 2. Important Deadlines for CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds 3. OBM Ideas on How to Use Coronavirus Relief Funding 4. OBM CARES Act Funds Guidance 10.1.2020 5. CCAO Guidance on Using CARES Act Funds 6. Treasury Guidance CARES Act Funds 9.2.2020 7. Treasury CARES Act Funds FAQs 9.2.2020 CCAO COVID-19 Resources Page Gov. DeWine’s Press Conference During today’s press conference, Gov. DeWine discussed Ohio’s increasing positivity rate for COVID-19. The administration added a new Lab Capacity dashboard to help private entities administering COVID-19 tests find labs that can run the samples. The dashboard is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov. There was an increase of 1,447 total COVID-19 cases statewide from yesterday’s data. For more COVID-19 numbers, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov. A video of the governor’s October 13th press conference can be found here. The next COVID-19 press conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 15th at 2 p.m. Press conferences can be viewed on www.ohiochannel.org. White House Briefing Call Registration – October 14th The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs will host a COVID-19 National Briefing Call for State, Local, and Tribal Officials on Wednesday, October 14, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 March 18 , 2021 President Joseph Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden, the Sickle Cell
    March 18 , 2021 President Joseph Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Biden, The sickle cell community would like to extend our congratulations on your election as the 46th President of the United States of America. We acknowledge that the first months of your presidency, and likely beyond, will be focused on providing aid to the American people during the COVID-19 public health emergency. On behalf of the sickle cell disease community and the roughly 100,000 individuals living with sickle cell in the United States, we are grateful to be able to provide policy recommendations for consideration in the roll-out of COVID-19 and other public health support immediately, and throughout your administration. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that disproportionately affects Black and Brown populations in the United States, including roughly 1 in 365 Black and African Americans, and 1 in 14,000 Hispanic Americans. Due to racism and patterns of health inequities in the United States, the SCD population has been marginalized in the realms of research, data collection, education, and access to quality care across the healthcare continuum. Without robust funding for research and treatment, the lives of those living with SCD are approximately 40 years shorter than the average U.S. adult lifespan. Furthermore, the lack of coordination and proper preventative care provided by the medical system results in roughly $2.98 billion in annual healthcare costs. The COVID-19 health crisis has only exacerbated the disparities and inequities found in the SCD community. The undersigned organizations ask you to prioritize the outlined policy initiatives in order to improve the lives of those living with SCD in the United States: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • October 15, 2020 Robert Redfield, MD Director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dear Dr. Redfield: on June 23, 2020, Th
    October 15, 2020 Robert Redfield, MD Director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dear Dr. Redfield: On June 23, 2020, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), and the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) sent a letter offering our support, expertise, experience, and partnership for planning and executing a successful COVID-19 vaccine program. The letter also included our feedback and emphasis on the importance of building on the existing vaccine delivery infrastructure. The immunization community recognizes the critical importance of CDC, Operation Warp Speed (OWS), and other federal partners’ having timely and complete access to data on doses distributed and administered. These same needs exist in each state and local jurisdiction where state health officers, governors, legislatures, immunization programs, and state-based COVID- 19 task forces will need to closely track vaccine distribution and administration to carry out their mission of protecting their populations’ health. As organizations that work closely with states and local jurisdictions that will be on the front lines of vaccine distribution and administration, we’ve seen positive movement, such as setting vaccination priorities and decisions to use existing, centralized vaccine distribution infrastructure. Thank you for acting on these key issues. However, there continue to be areas of concern to the immunization community. The attached table outlines our concerns and recommendations. We believe these recommendations are in line with CDC’s COVID Planning Assumptions, COVID Scenarios, and Early COVID Action Items Checklist. Successful vaccine rollout in this country hinges on immediate and clear guidance that leverages the current health information technology infrastructure used nationally by both private and public health care sectors.
    [Show full text]
  • COVID-19 UPDATE November 30, 2020 Global Total Cases – 63,089,305 Total Deaths – 1,465,067
    COVID-19 UPDATE November 30, 2020 Global Total cases – 63,089,305 Total deaths – 1,465,067 United States Total cases – 13,492,101 Total deaths – 267,600 The United States has recorded more than 4.1 million infections and more than 25,500 deaths in November alone. The number of new daily cases surpassed 200,000 for the first time on Friday and the total number of infections in the United States reached 13 million. On Sunday, the country reported more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases for the 27th consecutive day and 21 states recorded records for hospitalizations. Trump Administration • Data from the Transportation Security Administration reveals that in the days before and after the Thanksgiving holiday, between 800,000 and one million people passed through T.S.A. checkpoints each day. • Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said Sunday that people who traveled for Thanksgiving “have to assume you were exposed and you became infected,” and encouraged travelers to get tested in the next week and to avoid high-risk individuals. • Italy will open its borders to flights from the U.S. without a quarantine mandate for the first time since the imposition of Covid-19 travel curbs. The waiver, backed by rigorous testing before departure and on arrival, is the first on a trans-Atlantic route, according to Delta Air Lines, whose flights from Atlanta to Rome Fiumicino will trial the new rules. • An administration official confirmed last week that the White House is considering lifting restrictions on travel from the European Union and the United Kingdom.
    [Show full text]