The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is making more than $560 million in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments to more than 4,100 providers throughout the U.S. With this week’s announcement, nearly $11.5 billion in PRF payments have been distributed to more than 78,000 providers…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday unveiled his Administration’s approach to the next phase of the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response. According to the Newsom Administration, the SMARTER Plan builds on lessons learned over the past two years and the state’s ongoing commitment to equity. The Plan will “ensure California can maintain its focus on communities that…
Read More »Data from recent studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccine boosters remain safe and continue to be highly effective against severe disease over time. The first CDC study reviewed data from two of its vaccine safety monitoring systems, V-Safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)….
Read More »On Monday, the California State Senate and Assembly acted on a series of early action budget items proposed by the Newsom Administration, including investments to support the continued emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supplemental paid sick leave for California workers. We highlight these actions below: COVID-19 Emergency Response Funding SB 115 (Skinner) received…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) this week announced it will allow temporary measures imposed during the most recent COVID-19 surge to expire. The move comes as CDPH notes COVID-19 conditions continue to improve across the state and the Omicron surge subsides, including a 65 percent decrease in case rates since the peak of…
Read More »On Thursday, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón issued a State Public Health Officer Order temporarily modifying certain COVID-19 reporting requirements for health care providers and laboratories. Under the order that took effect immediately: Health care providers must report hospitalization and/or death of a patient due…
Read More »The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today it is postponing the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting originally scheduled for Monday, February 15 to review the emergency use authorization (EUA) request from Pfizer and BioNTech for the COVID-19 vaccine in children six months through four years of age. The FDA…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for a new monoclonal antibody for the treatment of COVID-19 that retains activity against the Omicron variant. The new monoclonal antibody bebtelovimab has been authorized for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients with a positive COVID-19 test…
Read More »The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week released a report entitled, “COVID-19: Federal Efforts to Provide Vaccines to Racial and Ethnic Groups” as part of its ongoing oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. GAO examined COVID-19 vaccination efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration…
Read More »The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced this week it has awarded $66.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to eight grantees to expand outreach efforts in 38 states and the District of Columbia to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and vaccinations. According to HRSA, nearly $390 million has been issued to…
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