On Thursday, the United States Senate confirmed California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as the 25th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on a 50-49 vote. Becerra becomes the first Latino HHS Secretary in U.S. history. Following his confirmation, Becerra resigned his position as California Attorney General. Governor Gavin Newsom released…
Read More »On Thursday evening, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. addressed the nation on the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, commemorating the over 500,000 lives lost in the U.S. and outlining additional federal efforts to end the pandemic. President Biden detailed the following steps to return the nation closer to normal by this coming Independence Day:…
Read More »Yesterday, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed into law the American Rescue Plan (ARP), an expansive new stimulus measure that will send out a third-round of stimulus payments for most Americans. In addition, the legislation, broadly speaking, will provide additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), appropriates funding to closed restaurants and theater venues…
Read More »On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first set of public health guidance for fully vaccinated individuals against COVID-19. The guidance is anticipated to be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of COVID-19, the proportion of the population fully vaccinated, and the rapidly evolving science…
Read More »On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the latest guidance, facilities should allow responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents,…
Read More »The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has launched its call for nominations for the 2021-22 NACCHO Board of Directors. NACCHO is currently seeking candidates for Vice President, a Regional Representative, and a Tribal Representative. Additional information on available positions and the nomination process is available here. Nominations close on Monday, April…
Read More »This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. announced several updates related to the federal government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we highlight these activities: Vaccines by End of May: President Biden announced on Tuesday the U.S. will have enough COVID-19 vaccine supply for every adult in America to be inoculated by the end…
Read More »On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Biden-Harris Administration approved California’s request to use Medicaid (Medi-Cal) funding to provide voluntary COVID-19 testing for low-income students covered by Medi-Cal. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) late last year requested permission to provide COVID-19 testing in schools for Medi-Cal children in grades transitional kindergarten through…
Read More »Today, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met to review and discuss the emergency use authorization (EUA) request from Janssen Biotech, Inc. for its Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, ultimately recommending on a unanimous vote that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issue an EUA for the single-dose vaccine. The Johnson…
Read More »This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. took a series of actions to support the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we provide a brief summary of these actions: National Emergency Extended: President Biden on Wednesday issued a notice continuing the national emergency declared in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic beyond March 1,…
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