On Monday, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal government’s watchdog agency, issued a nearly 500-page report on the federal government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The GAO report outlines a series of recommendations intended to bring an end to the pandemic and strengthen national preparedness for future health emergencies. The report emphasizes…
Read More »Following last week’s issuance of updated K-12 schools guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on Monday released the state’s schools guidance for the 2021-22 school year. The CDPH guidance aligns California school policy with the CDC’s guidance, and CDPH has acknowledged the priority…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools nationwide. The long-anticipated guidance will inform education planning activities ahead of this coming fall, and the CDC’s updated guidance prioritizes returning students to in-person instruction. Under the updated guidance, the CDC encourages a multi-layer strategy for…
Read More »This week, COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer and BioNTech released an update on the firms’ COVID-19 booster vaccine strategy, indicating continued booster trials have provided additional protection against the COVID-19 virus, particularly amid increased presence of virus variants. Pfizer and BioNTech point to recent studies regarding vaccine efficacy six- and 12-months post-vaccination and suggest a third…
Read More »Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) hosted a Dream Vacations Giveaway as the final drawing in the state’s “Vax for the Win” Incentive Program to encourage more state residents to receive a vaccine against COVID-19. According to CDPH, the incentive program continues to have a positive impact on the rate of vaccinations since…
Read More »Today, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the U.S. COVID-19 Global Response and Recovery Framework to establish a set of objectives and delineate activities of U.S. departments in responding to the global pandemic. The U.S. Government will pursue five objectives within the framework related to vaccinations, health systems, acute social needs, economic systems, and international health security….
Read More »On Thursday, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued an extension of the nationwide eviction moratorium, preventing the eviction of residential tenants who are unable to make rental payments. Recall, the CDC last fall issued the nationwide eviction moratorium as a way to keep people in their homes and…
Read More »A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this week unveiled a record high number of Americans enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) within the past year. Over 80 million Americans now have health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP, and nearly 10 million…
Read More »The National Association of Counties (NACo) will host a webinar on Tuesday, June 29 at 11:00 am PT on the eligible uses of Fiscal Recovery Funds for public health response activities. The webinar comes as counties determine how to invest their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to support a…
Read More »On Tuesday, the State of California retired the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions, including the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, more fully reopening the state’s economy and ending a series of pandemic requirements such as masking for vaccinated individuals, physical distancing, and capacity restrictions in virtually all settings. With the retirement of most restrictions, only…
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