COVID-19 Legislative Update

September 10, 2020

Legislation Supplemental IV Timeline/Process/Politics: Every day that goes by without negotiations between parties, the odds for passing another COVID bill decrease. Earlier today the Senate voted on the Republican bill that was released on Tuesday. The measure failed to reach the 60 votes but garnered every Republican vote except for Sen. (R-KY). After Republicans released the bill on Tuesday, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer issued a blistering statement, calling the bill “emaciated” and a move to give vulnerable Republican Senators a “check the box vote”. While the Republican “skinny” bill didn’t move forward, the goal of the vote was to show that Republicans can unify behind something and provide leverage for future negotiations. While Republicans have (finally) rallied around a bill, Democrats and Republicans still remain a ways apart. Many are skeptical anything COVID-related can get done over the next couple weeks before a continuing resolution (CR) needs to be passed. As negotiations remain stalled, it is becoming increasingly likely that a CR will be passed separate from any COVID package. House leaders have indicated that they want to put a CR on the House floor during the week of September 21.

Policy: Senate Republicans released another COVID package on Tuesday. While it did not pass the Senate, it can be seen as a marker for the priorities Republicans will focus on in negotiations. Text here. Summary here. The bill clocks in at $300 billion, after offsets. There were many similarities between the bill and the one Republicans released mid-August. See below for the highlights.

 Offsets from $204 billion from funding allocated to Federal Reserve programs in CARES, sets the 13(3) facilities to expire in January, rescinds $146 billion in unspent small business funding from CARES Act.  Liability protections for businesses and healthcare providers;  $300 per week in enhanced unemployment insurance through the end of the year;  Small Business policies including: o Allows small businesses to take out a second Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan if they have revenue loss of 35 percent or more (HEALS set the threshold at 50 percent or more); o Provides $257.7 billion for PPP, which includes $100 billion in unused funds; o Simplification of the loan process (Sen. Cramer’s Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act); o Additional reporting required for businesses receiving loan forgiveness; o Funding for audits.  $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service – the bill would convert a $10 billion loan to the USPS into a grant if the USPS falls below $8 billion in cash on hand.  Education policies including: o Funding for scholarship-granting organizations for expenses like private school tuition and home-schooling expenses; Also, provides tax credits for two years dedicated for scholarship granting organizations (School Choice Now Act); o Allow students to use 529 plan funds for relevant expenses for two years (Student Empowerment Act); o Childcare program included in HEALS (see here for HEALS education text)  Health policies and funding, including: o Pandemic preparedness program (supply chain, SNS) in HEALS (see here for HEALS education text)  Extends when states/local/tribal governments must spend CARES Act funding until September 30, 2021 (extended from December 31, 2020).  Increases tax incentives for charity from $300 above-the-line deduction (as implemented in the CARES Act) to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for those filing a joint return.  Appropriations title, including: o $105 billion for Education Stabilization Fund (66 percent for K-12 and 29 percent for higher education and 5 percent to governors to use for either higher education or K-12); o $16 billion for testing/contact tracing; o $31 billion for vaccine and treatment development and distribution (the mid-August skinny bill allocated $29 billion for these purposes); o $20 billion for farm assistance, o $500 million for fisheries, and o $15 billion for child care ($5 billion for Child Care Development Block Grant and $10 billion for the program authorized above “Back to Work Child Care Grants”).

HEALS: Senate Republicans released the eight-bill package the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act on July 27. See the following for the individual bills. American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act (Senate Finance Committee provisions) text here, section by section here. Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act (Small Business provisions) press release here, text here, section by section here, one pager here. Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act (Appropriations provisions) text here, summary here. Restoring Critical Supply Chains and Intellectual Property Act (Supply Chain and Research provisions) text here, section by section here. SAFE TO WORK Act (Liability Relief) text here, section by section here. Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act (Health, Education, and Labor Provisions) text here, section by section here. Supporting America’s Restaurant Workers Act text here. TRUST Act text here, section by section here, one pager here.

HEROES: The House passed the Democrats’ opening bid for the next bill, the Heroes Act, on May 15. While it’s been over two months since House passage of the bill and the contours of the debate and which issues are most pressing have shifted slightly, it can still serve as a marker of what Senate Republicans will be responding to in their bill. Heroes Act text (as of 5/12/2020) here. Section by section here. One pager here. State and Local one pager here. NCAI’s summary on tribal provisions here. Manager’s amendment here. House Rules Committee report here.

Passed Legislation Moving forward, this section will only include new information and guidance. For past information and guidance and passed legislation, please refer to the archives. For a summary of all supplementals, please see here.

New Implementation Information and Guidance

 There has been no new information and guidance since the previous update.

Members of Congress in Quarantine or Treatment (new additions in bold) Tested Positive (2): Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-Puerto Rico at large), Rep. Dan Meuser (R- PA) Currently Self-Quarantined (0): Recovered (13): Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC), Rep. Ben McAdams (D- UT), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Completed Quarantine (45): Sen. (R-TX), Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC)*, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R- FL), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX), Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Rep. David Schweikert (R- AZ), Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), Rep. David Price (D-NC), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rep. Steve Scalise (R- LA), Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. (R-UT), Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Sen. (R-TN), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Kay Granger (R- TX), Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA)

*Mark Meadows quarantined March 9 – 12 after coming in contact with a CPAC attendee who tested positive. On March 20, he resigned from his position in the House to become the White House Chief of Staff.

COVID-19 Compilation

September 12, 2020

Good morning Cornerstone clients,

Here are the COVID-19 headlines and helpful tidbits heading into the weekend. I’m happy to answer questions, accommodate requests, and take suggestions as they arise. Please do explore the newest additions to the Helpful Articles/Media section. To access the archives click here (1/28-5/12) or here (5/26-present).

Have a nice weekend.

Iowa At 10 a.m. Friday, the state was reporting 1,208 COVID-19-related deaths, an increase of three deaths since the state's tally at 10 a.m. Thursday, according to the state's Coronavirus.Iowa.gov website. The state was reporting at 10 a.m. Friday that there are 72,754 confirmed cases of coronavirus, an increase of 798 since 10 a.m. Thursday. The state has been changing how it reports testing data, which has caused spikes in the rate of positive data. Before the changes, the state was consistently reporting a positivity rate, that is, the percentage of tests that were positive, below 10%. Iowa also is now counting the results of antigen tests, a relatively rapid type of coronavirus tests, that will increase the reported rates of infection in some counties. On Friday, the state was reporting 10.6% positive since the pandemic started. Of the tests the state has reported since 10 a.m. Thursday, 13.3% were positive, according to a Des Moines Register analysis. Iowa's 14-day average was 9.2% positive, according to the state.

These were the Iowa counties that had 14-day averages above 15%: Sioux (20.7%); Lyon (20.4%) Bremer (18.7%); Plymouth (17.6%); Carroll (16.7%); Johnson (16.3%).

Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered that at least 50% of instruction at Iowa schools must be held in person. For K-12 schools to be considered for a state waiver allowing for online-only instruction, districts must have an 10% absentee rate and the county they are located in must have a 14-day coronavirus average of at least 15%. Of the 72,754 people who have tested positive, 52,291 have recovered, according to the state. The total number of people tested is 689,227, including 6,018 on Thursday. On Friday, the state was reporting 281 hospitalizations, down from 302 on Thursday. In the past 24 hours, 27 patients have been admitted. Also, there are 83 patients in the ICU, down from 85 on Thursday.

Washington, D.C.

 NIAID's Dr. Tony Fauci said today that, even with a vaccine at the end of this year or early 2021, "If you're talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it's going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021."  In a new FDA Voices entitled, The FDA’s Scientific and Regulatory Oversight of Vaccines is Vital to Public Health, agency leaders explain that they are committed to making decisions that are guided by science and data regarding the authorization or approval of COVID-19 vaccines.  FDA issued a temporary guidance, “Resuming Normal Drug and Biologics Manufacturing Operations During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency,” to help drug and biological product manufacturers (including animal drug manufacturers) transition from operations impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency to normal manufacturing operations. This guidance provides recommendations to help manufacturers prioritize products and activities as they resume normal operations and as they remediate current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) activities that were necessarily delayed, reduced, or otherwise modified during the public health emergency in order to maintain production and the drug supply. The guidance for industry “Planning for the Effects of High Absenteeism to Ensure Availability of Medically Necessary Drug Products” describes high-level considerations for resuming normal operations. This temporary guidance, however, provides more detailed considerations and is specific to the COVID-19 public health emergency.  Several Senior FDA career employees defended the independence and professionalism of their agency in an op-ed seeking to allay concerns over the intermingling of politics and science.  The FDA will host a virtual Town Hall for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers that are developing or have developed diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of this Town Hall is to help answer technical questions about the development and validation of tests for SARS-CoV-2. The FDA will also hold virtual Town Halls for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers to help answer questions on: o September 16, 12:15 PM o September 23, 12:15 PM o September 30, 12:15 PM  Here is this week’s COVIDView from CDC, a weekly summary and interpretation of key indicators that have been adapted to track the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.  The NIH has launched two of three adaptive Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of varying types of blood thinners to treat adults diagnosed with COVID-19. Part of the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) initiative, these trials will be conducted at more than 100 sites around the world and will involve patients in various clinical settings — those who have not been hospitalized, those currently hospitalized and those discharged after hospitalization for moderate to severe disease.  Resources for Integrated Care (RIC) launched the Integrated Care Community of Practice (ICCoP), a learning community of health plans seeking to incorporate meaningful member feedback into their governance structures. Health plans face additional challenges to effective member engagement due to COVID-19, but the pandemic also presents opportunities to re-examine meeting structures, strategies, and recruitment. Over the past five months, ICCoP participants shared challenges and promising practices. This panel discussion will offer promising practices, including those from ICCoP, for staying connected to member advisors and supporting their continued involvement during COVID-19. The panel is on Thursday, September 17 at 12:30 PM, and you can register here.  Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health concern. Read what U.S. Surgeon General VADM writes about how resources are available to help people stay connected even while physically distanced.  Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) raised a series of questions in a letter to HHS Sec. today following press reports that the agency put out a bid for a more than $250 million communications contract for a COVID-19 public relations campaign in the months leading up to the presidential election. HHS reportedly sent multiple communications firms a performance work statement (PWS), in which the agency identified a series of goals for a new communications contract, including “defeat despair and inspire hope” about the COVID-19 pandemic, “instill confidence to return to work and restart the economy,” build a “coalition of spokespeople,” and provide public health, therapeutic and vaccine information as the country reopens.  House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), also sent a letter calling on HHS Sec. Alex Azar to suspend a $250 million communications contract awarded to Fors Marsh Group to create public service announcements (PSAs) relating to the coronavirus crisis.  The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will meet next Wednesday, September 16, for a hearing at 10 AM titled, "Department of Health and Human Services’ Coronavirus Response: A Review of Efforts To Date and Next Steps."  Odds of a fourth COVID package passing before the November 3 election are reportedly low. The Senate did meet yesterday to vote on the Republican-led skinny bill, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only member to break party lines and vote against the measure. Bill text is here. Bill summary is here. For a more detailed description of what this means for the future COVID-19 legislative landscape, please refer to Sierra Fuller's COVID-19 Legislative Update (email [email protected] to subscribe).

Updates from the States

 Out of the cases under investigation detected by U.S. surveillance, there are 6,381,013 total cases and 191,353 deaths The CDC data closes out the day before reporting.  In open defiance of the governor's orders, Des Moines, Iowa, schools began this week by teaching remotely. The decision puts the district’s funding and administrators’ jobs in jeopardy, leaves students locked out of athletics, and leaves their parents uncertain whether online classes will even count.  Oregon officials are having to figure out how to evacuate incarcerated individuals out of the way of the fires while also mitigating COVID-19 risks.  Halsey Beshears, Florida’s secretary for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Tweeted yesterday that the state would allow bars to operate at half capacity starting Monday. He rescinded an EO from June that had banned drinking at bars as the state experienced a surge.  Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez reopened beaches to everyone, and authorized the reopening of gyms, movie theaters, and casinos at 25 percent capacity.  California's Supreme Court refused to overturn Gov. 's (D) directives limiting in-classroom instruction to slow the spread of COVID-19.  Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced that Louisiana will move into phase three today.  Nevada's COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force approved allowing bars in the City of Pahrump and in Washoe County to reopen following the statewide mitigation and enforcement measures.  New York Gov. (D) announced indoor dining in New York City will be allowed to resume beginning September 30th with a 25 percent occupancy limit. All restaurants that choose to reopen will be subject to strict safety protocols, including temperature checks, contact information for tracing, face coverings when not seated, and other safety protocols. Bar service will not be permitted, and restaurants will close at midnight. o MTA has also been authorized to fine those not wearing masks on public transportation.  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced that, due to significantly improved health metrics in the Eastern Region, localities in Hampton Roads will join the rest of the Commonwealth in Phase Three of the “Forward Virginia” plan to ease public health restrictions while mitigating the spread of COVID-19.  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed an executive order facilitating learning pods due to the presence of COVID-19.  Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) received her flu shot and emphasized that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now more important than ever for all Kansans to get a flu shot.  Georgia Gov. (R) and Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), are asking all Georgians - especially those who may have participated in large gatherings over the Labor Day holiday weekend - to schedule a COVID-19 test at one of the Georgia Department of Public Health's more than 180 testing locations.  Useful state data: o Use Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 U.S. map as a resource for media, policymakers, and communities to view a collection of critical public health data in one online destination and better understand and track the COVID-19 pandemic in populations both large and small across the country. o NASHP has developed a COVID-19 State Action Center which serves as a state-level policy dashboard. Governing is also keeping a running tally of coronavirus news and impacts at the intersection of the health and economic crises in the states and localities. o This site from the Kaiser Family Foundation provides state-level information on cases/deaths, social distancing measures, health policy actions, and more. o This series of maps shows how states are responding to COVID-19, and this tracker, created and maintained by MultiState Associates, has an up-to-date list of executive orders and various travel restrictions.

Military/Defense

 Wearing masks, wiping down work spaces and quarantine periods have presented a fringe benefit to military operations, most notably in the basic training environment. Fewer troops are coming down with communicable diseases, which take them out of the fight for days or even weeks.  The damage to the defense industry caused by the pandemic has yet to be fully measured, and companies may soon be facing more-severe delayed effects. Ellen Lord, the Pentagon's acquisition chief, said the Pentagon plans to collect pandemic data on the tens of thousands of companies that make up the industrial base for the time period of March 15 through September 15 in hopes of better documentation and a lifeline from Congress.  DoD announced two DPA Title III actions to sustain and strengthen essential domestic industrial base capabilities and defense-critical small businesses. The Department says these actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the disruption caused by COVID-19 and to restore some jobs lost because of the pandemic.  DoD, on behalf of HHS, signed contracts with a maximum value of $136 million with five American businesses to manufacture up to 15 million COVID-19 reusable isolation gowns for the replenishment of the HHS-managed SNS. Delivery of the gowns will be complete by January 2021 ensuring HHS is poised to meet the Nation’s critical medical needs. Announcement here.  Updated DoD case totals are included in the first figure below.

International Affairs

 As cases continue to rise in France, government officials have chosen to focus on increasing testing capacity rather than implementing further lockdown measures.  India has reported a record 96,551 new cases, pushing the country’s total caseload above 4.5 million. The country has recorded more than 76,000 deaths from COVID-19.  Myanmar has implemented a lockdown for half of its largest city, Yangon, and halted travel between regions in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.  North Korea has given a shoot-to-kill order to its deployed crack troops along the border to prevent smugglers from introducing COVID-19 into its population.  Scientists from Imperial College London said that the prevalence of coronavirus infections doubled every eight days from late August to early September in England.  Things are so far, so good in Germany after the first month of in-person schooling. Even though 41 schools in Berlin were reported to have been affected in the first two weeks, there have been few transmissions within the schools themselves.  A new report from UNAIDS shows how countries grappling with COVID-19 are using the experience and infrastructure from the AIDS response to ensure a more robust response to both pandemics. COVID-19 and HIV: 1 moment, 2 epidemics, 3 opportunities—how to seize the moment to learn, leverage and build a new way forward for everyone’s health and rights shows that by identifying the dynamic changes needed, systems can be found that are effective, inclusive, equitable and sufficiently resourced.  Global Cases: 28,040,853 Total Deaths: 906,092

Lifestyle, Science, and Economy

 According to a contact tracing data from three Utah child care facilities, even children with mild or no symptoms can transmit COVID-19. Researchers analyzed contact tracing data from 184 people with links to three child care centers in Salt Lake County from this April to July, and found that at least two children passed on the virus while asymptomatic.  A study in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analyzed 314 patients and found that those who tested positive for the virus were twice as likely to have eaten at a restaurant in the previous two weeks as those who tested negative. Several researchers said that the links between contracting the virus and eating out should be viewed with caution, because the study did not distinguish between patrons who dined at indoor or outdoor facilities, and didn’t rely on contact tracing.  Researchers at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health suggest the case tally in the U.S. does not "capture the total burden of the pandemic because testing has been primarily restricted to individuals with moderate to severe symptoms due to limited test availability." The report, published in the journal Nature Communications, says the U.S. may have experienced over 6.4 million cases of COVID-19 by April 18. At the time, there were 721,245 confirmed cases, the researchers said.  As many as one in 100 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 develop a pneumothorax - a 'punctured lung' - according to a study led by Cambridge researchers.  Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer at WebMD, interviewed dean and president of Morehouse School of Medicine, Dr Valerie Montgomery Rice. Discussion included racial health disparities, representation in clinical trials, and more.  In a research letter from Harvard found that among 3,222 young adults hospitalized with Covid-19, 88 died — about 2.7 percent. One in five required intensive care, and one in 10 needed a ventilator to assist with breathing. Among those who survived, 99 patients, or 3 percent, could not be sent home from the hospital and were transferred to facilities for ongoing care or rehabilitation. The study indicates that young people are certainly at risk, and should be taking social distancing measures seriously.  More than 40,000 COVID-19 infections have been reported among students, faculty and staff at colleges and universities across all 50 states. The actual tally is likely higher due to a lag from schools that update their data every few days.  Multiple students at Miami University of Ohio chose to host a party while knowing they had tested positive for COVID-19.  Not sure how to act "during these uncertain times?" Read the Washington Post's Covid-19 etiquette: A comprehensive guide.  A newly published study looking at cats in Wuhan, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 began, shows more cats might be contracting the disease than first believed. Scientists analyzed blood samples taken from 102 cats between January and March 2020 in Wuhan, China. Fifteen of the cats had COVID-19 antibodies in their blood, and 11 of those cats had neutralizing antibodies that bind to the coronavirus and block infection.  The WHO keeps a running list of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, which you can view here. STAT News also has a resource tracking COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.  The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security has an extensive list of commercial and lab-developed tests.  Continue to look at the NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis’s (OPA) expert-curated portfolio of COVID-19 publications and preprints. The portfolio includes peer-reviewed articles from PubMed and preprints from medRxiv, bioRxiv, ChemRxiv, and arXiv. It is updated daily with the latest available data and enables users to explore and analyze the rapidly growing set of advances in COVID-19 research.

Helpful Articles/Media

 Public trust in CDC, Fauci, and other top health officials is evaporating, poll finds  The Great Vaccine Race: Inside the Unprecedented Scramble to Immunize the World Against COVID-19  Update Alert: Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Coronavirus Infection in Health Care Workers  First COVID-19 Global Forecast: IHME Projects Three-Quarters of a Million Lives Could be Saved by January 1  UNC researchers publish striking images of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells  Hospital COVID-19 risk lowest among intensive care staff  Not just conspiracy theories: vaccine opponents and pro-ponents add to the COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ on Twitter  In the latest kid-friendly pandemic video published by BrainPOP, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. , explains to students of all ages the role they can play in controlling the spread of coronavirus.  Creative school plans could counter inequities exposed by COVID-19  Why COVID-19 is more deadly in people with obesity—even if they're young  Comparison of Clinical Features of COVID-19 vs Seasonal Influenza A and B in US Children  Clinical Outcomes in Young US Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19  Trans-ethnic analysis reveals genetic and non-genetic associations with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity  COVID-19 sparks 12-fold increase in remote delivery of mental health care across the US  Rapid isothermal amplification and portable detection system for SARS-CoV-2  Pandemic Vaccine Program Distribution, Tracking, and Monitoring  Viewpoint of a WHO Advisory Group Tasked to Consider Establishing a Closely-Monitored Challenge Model of COVID-19 in Healthy Volunteers  CDC director attempts to clarify controversial Covid-19 testing guidelines  Internet Searches for Acute Anxiety During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic  How COVID-19 Could Aggravate the Homelessness Crisis?  From Resolve to Save Lives- Promoting mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A POLICYMAKER’S GUIDE  Duration of SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity: When is it Safe to Discontinue Isolation?  Risk for Severe COVID-19 Illness Among Teachers and Adults Living With School-Aged Children  Pediatric SARS-CoV-2: Clinical Presentation, Infectivity, and Immune Responses  Dust can spread influenza among guinea pigs, raising coronavirus questions  Long-Haulers Are Redefining COVID-19  Seven months later, what we know about Covid-19 — and the pressing questions that remain  Coronavirus saliva tests could be cheaper and faster. Here’s how they work.  Widespread testing, case isolation and contact tracing may allow safe school reopening with continued moderate physical distancing: a modeling analysis of King County, WA data  Dozens of public health officials are quitting during pandemic  For health care ‘heroes,’ death toll keeps rising  ‘We’re losing an entire generation of scientists.’ COVID-19’s economic toll hits Latin America hard  Viable SARS-CoV-2 in the air of a hospital room with COVID-19 patients  Antibody therapies could be a bridge to a coronavirus vaccine — but will the world benefit?  Companies test antibody drugs to treat, prevent COVID-19  Treatment of COVID-19 Patients with Convalescent Plasma Reveals a Signal of Significantly Decreased Mortality  Winter is coming: Why America’s window of opportunity to beat back Covid-19 is closing  Clinical Course and Molecular Viral Shedding Among Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Patients With SARS- CoV-2 Infection in a Community Treatment Center in the Republic of Korea  Operational Considerations for Maintaining Essential Services for and Providing Maternal, Newborn, and Child Healthcare in Low-Resource Countries  Symptom Duration and Risk Factors for Delayed Return to Usual Health Among Outpatients with COVID-19 in a Multistate Health Care Systems Network — United States, March–June 2020  Neutralizing Antibodies Isolated from COVID-19 Patients May Suppress Virus  We are mutating SARS-CoV-2, but it is evolving back  MMWR Weekly COVID-19 Briefing is a weekly podcast to update readers on the latest scientific information from CDC’s COVID-19 response. In each episode, MMWR’s Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Charlotte Kent provides an overview of the latest scientific information published in MMWR. New episodes are posted every Monday. Listen to episodes here.  Infographic: Early Cases of MIS-C: Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in U.S. Children  Safe Pregnancy As COVID-19 Surges: What's Best For Mom And Baby?  Researchers Publish Encouraging Early Data on COVID-19 Vaccine  IHS audiologist wears clear face covering to better communicate with patients  Placenta lacks major molecules used by SARS-CoV-2 virus to cause infection  Listen to the Kaiser Health News podcast ‘What The Health?’: ‘Open The Schools, Close The Bars’  Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― United States, April–May 2020  The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus  Principal Deputy Director of the CDC, Dr. Anne Schuchat, participated in an interview with the Editor in Chief of JAMA. You can view it here.  Covid-19 vaccine research must involve Black and Latinx participants. Here are 4 ways to make that happen  As the economy reopens, scientists still have a lot to learn about coronavirus immunity  The impact of COVID-19 and strategies for mitigation and suppression in low- and middle-income countries  Vaccine Access and Hesitancy: The Public Health Importance of Vaccines  Special Report: COVID deepens the other opioid crisis - a shortage of hospital painkillers  Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health amid COVID-19  When 511 Epidemiologists Expect to Fly, Hug and Do 18 Other Everyday Activities Again  Johns Hopkins data capture.  Other tracking data here.

Common Acronyms Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Central Command (CENTCOM), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), Executive Order (EO)

Cumulative totals of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, recovered, and deaths within the DoD. Source: https://www.defense.gov/explore/spotlight/coronavirus/

WHO, 9.7.20. (no updates yet)

(Updated 9.11.20 from CDC's new platform. Please note the CDC has changed their maps.) For more information, visit CDC’s Novel Coronavirus 2019 website or the WHO's dashboard.

David R. Adelman Principal & Director | Government Affairs