On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued its recommendations for recipients of the first round of COVID-19 vaccines. ACIP determined both health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities be offered the first vaccines that are anticipated to be distributed over the coming…
Read More »Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) an article detailing the high levels of COVID-19 transmission in the U.S. As a result of the sustained high levels of spread, the CDC recommends universal face covering anytime an individual is outside of their household….
Read More »This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory, urging Americans to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday at home with household members only. The CDC indicates travel may increase the risk of getting or spreading COVID-19 and postponing travel and staying home is the best way for Americans to protect…
Read More »Today, Pfizer and BioNTech submitted an emergency use authorization (EUA) request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its mRNA vaccine candidate for use against the COVID-19 virus. According to Pfizer, today’s FDA filing would potentially enable use of the vaccine in high-risk populations in the U.S. by the middle to end of…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first prescription at-home COVID-19 test, developed by Lucira Health, for use by people who are at least 14 years old and have COVID-19 symptoms. The test is available for younger people, but a healthcare provider must collect the…
Read More »This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) released a series of recommendations for the incoming Biden Administration and the 117th Congress. In its recommendations, NACCHO highlights the role of local health departments (LHDs) in responding to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the critical services delivered by LHDs nationwide….
Read More »On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments on California v. Texas, which seeks to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Brought by several states, and led by Texas, the case argues that since Congress reduced the individual mandate penalty to zero in 2017, the mandate is now unconstitutional and therefore the…
Read More »On Monday, President-Elect Joe Biden announced the formation of a Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, consisting of leading public health experts who will advise President-Elect Biden, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, and the nascent administration’s staff. The advisory board is comprised of: Co-Chair Dr. David Kessler, Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University…
Read More »This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced partnerships with large chain pharmacies and networks to increase access to future COVID-19 vaccines. Through the federal partnership with pharmacy chains, approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Independent pharmacies and…
Read More »This week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced their vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in participants without evidence of prior COVID-19 infection in the first interim efficacy analysis. The study enrolled 43,538 participants and evaluated 94 confirmed COVID-19 cases in trial participants. No serious safety concerns were observed…
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