Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, authorizing the use of a single booster dose for all individuals 18 years of age and older after completion of the primary vaccination with any FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. Prior to today’s announcement,…
Read More »This week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced it has secured 10 million treatment courses for Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral drug, pending an emergency use authorization (EUA) or approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The investigational drug, Paxlovid, is under development to treat non-hospitalized, symptomatic adults diagnosed with COVID-19 who are at an increased…
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 »Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. announced his intent to nominate Dr. Robert Califf as the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the White House, Dr. Califf is a recognized expert in clinical trial research, health disparities, health care quality, and cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Califf previously served as FDA Commissioner…
Read More »U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy this week released the “Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation,” intended to help Americans navigate the serious threat of health misinformation, particularly mis- and disinformation online. Recall, this summer, Dr. Murthy issued the first Surgeon General’s Advisory of the Biden-Harris Administration warning Americans about the urgent threat of health…
Read More »The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Women’s Health (OWH) this week announced that over 200 hospitals nationwide are now participating in the HHS Perinatal Improvement Collaborative. The participating facilities comprise a network of hospitals from all 50 states focused on improving maternal and infant health outcomes by reducing disparities and…
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