The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently announced it will convene the Public Health Workgroup of the California Climate Action Team (CAT-PHWG) for a meeting on lessons learned from COVID-19 equity actions and how they can be leveraged to strengthen climate action planning and community resilience. The meeting will occur on Tuesday, November 30…
Read More »This week, senior officials clarified the state’s expectations for local health jurisdictions and providers in administering COVID-19 vaccine boosters. In a letter from CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón, vaccine providers throughout the state are instructed to: Proactively outreach to patients who are age 65 and older, have underlying medical conditions,…
Read More »On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-21-21 extending provisions implemented to expand the state’s health care workforce during the pandemic, allowing health care workers from out-of-state to provide services in California, and enabling certain medical personnel to continue supporting the state’s COVID-19 response, including administering vaccines. The order additionally continues flexibility for health…
Read More »Recall, last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency temporary standard relative to COVID-19 protections and precautions for employers with 100 or more employees, including a requirement for employers to verify that employees are fully vaccinated or complete regular weekly testing. Shortly after the order was issued…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of new investments of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to continue support of the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announcement, according to the White House, is a direct response to the recommendations advanced by the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force which delivered its…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week announced it will invest $650 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to strengthen manufacturing capacity for quick, high-quality diagnostic testing through rapid point-of-care molecular tests. HHS notes as at-home testing increases, the need for follow-up testing in health care settings will also…
Read More »This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to extend the federal government’s 100 percent reimbursement of eligible COVID-19 emergency response costs incurred by states, tribes, and territories through April 1, 2022. The extension of FEMA reimbursement also includes 100 percent federal reimbursement for National Guard personnel deployed to…
Read More »This week, Pfizer and BioNTech formally requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine booster to all adults ages 18 and older. According to the companies, the request is based on efficacy and safety data from a randomized, controlled trial with more than 10,000 participants, showing efficacy of 95…
Read More »On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cleared the way for children 5 to 11 years old to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. Following last week’s emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced two significant regulatory rules aimed at increasing vaccination rates throughout the country, protecting workers, preventing hospitalization and death, and strengthening the economy. These rules include: Vaccination Requirement for Employers with 100 or More Employees – The Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is issuing a…
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