The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory
Agency said Thursday it had authorized Merck and
Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ oral antiviral, molnupiravir, to treat
mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults at risk for severe illness.
The number of people with symptoms of depression and anxiety has
nearly quadrupled during the COVID pandemic, which has made
it even more maddeningly difficult to get timely mental
healthcare, even if you have good insurance.
The open enrollment window for the state’s health insurance
marketplace, Covered California, began Nov. 1. Health officials
say purchasing coverage will be more affordable than usual for
many people thanks to newly available federal financial help.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on
Tuesday formally endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus
vaccine for children aged 5 through 11, a move that will buttress
defenses against a possible surge as winter arrives and ease the
worries of tens of millions of pandemic-weary parents.
Hospitals and health systems are experiencing an “alarming and
sustained” increase in expenses and plummeting margin declines,
according to a new report from Kaufman Hall.
The current shortage of nurses in the United States is
approaching critical levels, hospital managers say. The
latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 30%
of medical staff have been dismissed or dismissed, resulting in a
current shortage of about 1.8 million compared to 300,000 before
the pandemic.
“The fourth industrial age is here,” says Daniel Kraft, a
health care futurist and medical doctor. “It’s
transforming how we get our digital banking done, how we stream
movies. But health care is still stuck in the third –
or maybe the second — industrial age, with fax machines and
CD-ROMs.”
The White House on Thursday unveiled a new plan to expand several
federal health-insurance programs to lower costs to consumers as
part of President Joe Biden’s broader $1.75
trillion domestic spending package.
ScionHealth, a new healthcare company, will be created from
LifePoint Health’s acquisition of Kindred Healthcare upon closing
of their previously announced transaction.
The number of people with symptoms of depression and anxiety has
nearly quadrupled during the COVID pandemic, which has
made it even more maddeningly difficult to get timely mental
health care, even if you have good insurance.
A cheap, generically available anti-depressant may reduce the
risk of severe Covid-19 disease by close to a third in
people at high risk, researchers reported Wednesday.
Pharmaceutical company Merck agreed to allow other drug makers to
produce its COVID-19 pill, in a move aimed at helping
millions of people in poorer countries get access to the
potentially life-saving drug, a United Nations-backed public
health organization said on Wednesday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled up his sleeve Wednesday and
received a coronavirus vaccine booster shot, a move he encouraged
others to take as the state heads into the time of year that in
2020 ushered in the deadliest spike of COVID-19 cases.
The California Hospital Association is urging the Golden State’s
congressional delegation to press for a reexamination of the
recently enacted interim final rule on surprise billing, which
providers complain “puts a thumb on the scale” for payers.
Healthcare companies in recent years have largely focused on
reducing greenhouse gas emissions as they strive to become more
environmentally sustainable.
Amazon on Monday unveiled a new voice offering for hospitals and
health systems, representing yet another step in the Seattle tech
giant’s push into healthcare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “very
carefully” watching a mutated form of the coronavirus called
“delta plus,” the agency’s director said Sunday, as cases of the
delta subvariant continue to rise in the United Kingdom.
Cognitive impairment — described as brain fog — can persist for
months in Covid-19 patients, even for some who were not
hospitalized, according to a new study.
COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged 5 to 11 could be available by
early next month amid promising study data released by Pfizer and
BioNTech, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized
booster shots for tens of millions of recipients of
Moderna’s two-dose coronavirus vaccine and the roughly 15 million
who got Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot, significantly
expanding the nation’s campaign to bolster protection for
vulnerable people.
As health care workers face increased pandemic burnout, some
states — particularly in underserved areas — have had challenges
retaining existing staff and recruiting new clinicians.
The community transmission level in Riverside County dropped from
the “high” tier to the “substantial” tier, this week, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.S. health officials are setting the stage for a national
COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting
state officials to order doses before the shots are authorized.
Drugmaker Merck asked U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its
pill against COVID-19 in what would add an entirely new and
easy-to-use weapon to the world’s arsenal against the pandemic.
As Congress continues to struggle with debt ceiling and
infrastructure issues, lawmakers continue to work on other bills,
including those related to the health workforce.
The list of stressors on the health care system is daunting:
climate change and catastrophic weather events, mass casualty
incidents, cybersecurity attacks, understaffing and workforce
burnout are just some of the challenges that have been
confronting health executives for years.
An ongoing shortage of hospital workers, particularly nurses,
caused by the surge of the Delta variant, will place additional
strain on not-for-profit hospitals’ profitability in the long
run, says a new report released by Moody’s Investors Service.
Nationwide, hospitals and health systems are spending $24 billion
more per year on qualified clinical labor than they did prior to
the pandemic, according to an analysis by Premier.
Anthem Blue Cross, the country’s second-biggest health insurance
company, is behind on billions of dollars in payments owed to
hospitals and doctors because of onerous new reimbursement rules,
computer problems and mishandled claims, say hospital officials
in multiple states.
The Biden administration is ramping up its purchases of
coronavirus tests and making free testing available in more
pharmacies across the country, officials at the White House’s
COVID-19 Response Team announced Wednesday.
Laboratory Corporation of America has received Emergency Use
Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a
combined home collection kit for molecular testing for COVID-19
and influenza A/B.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday authorized a new
rapid, at-home COVID-19 test, in a move it said is expected to
double the availability of such tests in the coming weeks.
Healthcare facilities in California have taken charge to
vaccinate the overwhelming majority of their employees against
COVID-19 in accordance with the state’s mandate, using
educational campaigns, culturally competent conversations and
resources to reach out to unvaccinated workers.
Johnson & Johnson asked the Food and Drug Administration on
Tuesday to allow extra shots of its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S.
government moves toward expanding its booster campaign to
millions more vaccinated Americans.
The California Hospital Association is asking Attorney General
Rob Bonta to investigate “unprecedented pricing” for temporary
nurses by staffing agencies during the pandemic and determine if
the higher costs are justified or simply price gouging.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the nation’s
first coronavirus vaccination mandate for schoolchildren,
requiring that all elementary through high school students get
the shots once the vaccine gains final approval from the U.S.
government for different age groups.
A decline in COVID-19 cases across the United
States over the past several weeks has given overwhelmed
hospitals some relief, but administrators are bracing for yet
another possible surge as cold weather drives people indoors.
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
has launched Hear Us Out, a nationwide effort to show the
COVID-19 pandemic from frontline nurses’ perspective and urge
those who have yet to be vaccinated to reconsider.
The deadline for healthcare workers to be vaccinated or face
termination has arrived in two states and quickly approaches in
others. The mandate appears to have compelled tens of thousands
of workers to get the shot, setting the stage for employer
vaccine mandates nationwide.
The current nurse staffing shortage must be declared a national
crisis and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) should acknowledge it and take concrete
action, the American Nurses Association (ANA) wrote in
a call-to-arms letter to HHS Secretary Xavier
Becerra.
A large study has revealed that one in three Covid-19
survivors have suffered symptoms three to six months
after getting infected, with breathing problems, abdominal
symptoms such as abdominal pain, change of bowel habit and
diarrhea, fatigue, pain, anxiety and depression among the most
common issues reported.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert,
said the country would “hopefully” begin vaccinating children as
young as 5 by the end of October, a significant milestone in
efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
When triple-digit temperatures hit the Pacific Northwest this
summer, the emergency room at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center
was ill prepared. Doctors raced to treat heat-aggravated illness
in homeless people, elderly patients with chronic ailments, and
overdosing narcotics users.
Online and in stores, major retailers are sold out of the popular
at-home tests, and medical supply vendors can’t find enough rapid
test kits for schools, shelters, nursing homes, employers and
other groups.
The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. may be
tapering off as cases drop for the first time in 3 months,
according to the latest update from the University of Minnesota’s
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Keck Medicine and other major
hospital systems in California say they are well on their way to
meeting Thursday’s deadline for the state’s COVID-19 vaccination
mandate, with several citing vaccination rates of 90% or higher.
Top House Democrats are voicing a new willingness to pare down
their ambitious health care proposals within the sweeping $3.5
trillion social spending bill as they scramble to build consensus
ahead of a potential vote this week.
With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines
available, U.S. health authorities said they’re confident there
will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster
shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are
expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future.
Millions of Americans are now eligible to receive a Pfizer
booster shot to help increase their protection against the worst
effects of the coronavirus.
Hospitals and nursing homes across the country are preparing for
a worsening staff shortage as healthcare workers have reached the
state deadline for vaccination with COVID-19.
The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County
hospitals dropped for the 25th time in the past 27 days Sunday,
declining from 947 to 907, according to state figures. The
number of those patients in intensive care remained at 278.
Within a day of testing positive for COVID-19 in June, Miranda
Kelly was sick enough to be scared. At 44, with diabetes and high
blood pressure, Kelly, a certified nursing assistant, was having
trouble breathing, symptoms serious enough to send her to the
emergency room.
Following days of lengthy debate among vaccine experts, booster
shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine can now be
officially administered to some adults in the United States.
The U.S. moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses
of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at
high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration
signed off on the targeted use of extra shots.
In a surprising vote, a panel of advisers to the Food and Drug
Administration on Friday recommended against approval of a
booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people
16 years and older.
When Denise Williams’ baby boy was 2 months old, she became
alarmed by a rattling sound in his lungs and took him to the
emergency room. While undergoing treatment, he spiraled into a
disabling neurological disorder.
In a highly anticipated announcement, Pfizer said on Monday a
Phase 2/3 trial showed its Covid-19 vaccine was safe and
generated a “robust” antibody response in children ages 5 to 11
COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19
Spanish flu pandemic did — approximately 675,000. And like the
worldwide scourge of a century ago, the coronavirus may never
entirely disappear from our midst.
The Service Employees International Union United Workers West
has asked the California Health and Human Services
Agency to not give hospitals money to pay inflated costs for
travel nursing and staffing agencies.
House Democrats are cobbling together a $3.5 trillion domestic
policy package, which includes billions of dollars for hospital
infrastructure, building up the health workforce, addressing the
nursing shortage and boosting insurance coverage.
Peter Lee, who has steered California’s Affordable Care Act
marketplace since late 2011 and helped mold it into a model of
what the federal health care law could achieve, announced
Thursday he will leave his post in March.
Nearly 3 million consumers took advantage of a special six-month
period to sign up for subsidized health insurance coverage made
more affordable by the COVID-19 relief law, President Joe Biden
said Wednesday.
Data from an ongoing clinical trial showed that a booster dose of
Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) produced an immune
response and no increased risk of severe adverse events, FDA
staff said in briefing documents released Wednesday.
Those in the healthcare industry say they are awaiting more
information on the new federal vaccine requirement for
healthcare workers, which is expected to be issued as an interim
final rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid in October.
Smaller and rural healthcare providers affected by the COVID-19
pandemic will soon be able to apply for additional relief through
the Health and Human Services Department.
The Los Angeles board of education has voted to require students
12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend
in-person classes in the nation’s second-largest school district.
The job market for nurses is way out of whack. Traveling
registered nurses are making far more than full-time staffers
doing the same job. And that’s causing staffers to hit the road
to take a traveling gig, only to be replaced by an expensive
traveler.
We really need to start preparing now,” said Eric Lander, PhD,
director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the
White House, on a phone call with reporters.
The number of coronavirus patients in Riverside County hospitals
is beginning to fall, though the county currently has the second
highest number of hospital patients in the state.
As the delta variant spreads, scientists are investigating
another coronavirus variant known as mu, which was designated by
the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest” earlier
this week. Anthony S. Fauci, the country’s top infectious-disease
expert, said that the variant was not an “immediate threat” while
adding that “we’re keeping a very close eye on it.”
At this stage of the pandemic, it is obvious that everyone in our
nation has been impacted by COVID-19. We’ve lost more than
640,000 lives as the virus has ravaged our healthcare system and
exposed how unprepared we were to face this pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit California, its healthcare
facilities started having oxygen supply problems: Too many people
were needing ventilatory support too quickly.
This was supposed to be the time that L.A.’s hospitals regained
their footing after the devastating financial squeeze from last
year’s initial phases of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Congressman Tony
Cárdenas (both D-Calif.) announced the Pediatric Access
to Critical Healthcare (PATCH) Act to support and bolster
the nation’s vital pediatric healthcare infrastructure. The
resurgence of COVID-19 and increased patient visits has placed
major strains on the capacity of children’s hospitals. The PATCH
Act will help ensure that the pediatric safety net for children
and adolescents remains strong for all families.
When April Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, a
critical care nurse, worked alongside nurse practitioners (NPs)
at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the experience was
career-changing.Hospitals Reverse Loss Trend, Gain 18K Jobs in
July
Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) is a community health
improvement initiative led by the Hospital Association of
Southern California (HASC) focused on reducing health disparities
in Southern California.
Tens of billions of dollars designated by Congress to help
hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers stave
off financial hardship from the coronavirus pandemic are sitting
unused, because the Biden administration has not released the
money.
A new article published last week in the European Heart Journal
discusses the use of drones for delivering life-saving automated
external defibrillators (AED) to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
(OHCA) patients.
Many California hospitals are experiencing staffing shortages as
the pandemic takes a toll on healthcare workers, and the state’s
new COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is adding
another layer to the issue, CalMatters reported Aug. 28.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday he expects U.S. drug
regulators to clear the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for
emergency use in children ages 5 to 11 in late fall or early
winter this year.
The federal health department is creating a new office to address
climate change as a public health issue, in an effort to tie
growing environmental concerns to the administration’s broader
health equity agenda.
Healthcare providers are ramping up plans to administer COVID-19
vaccine boosters and seasonal flu vaccines at the same time.
Luckily, they already developed the infrastructure.
Covid cases are still on the rise in the U.S., but the pace of
infections is showing signs of slowing, especially in some of the
states that have been hit hardest by the delta variant.
COVID-19 patients infected with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2)
were more likely to need a higher level of care compared with
those with the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), British researchers
found.
The U.S. is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths
between now and Dec. 1, according to the nation’s most closely
watched forecasting model. But health experts say that toll could
be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces.
The American Medical Association (AMA) on Tuesday urged the
public and private sectors to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations,
saying the move is key to getting control of the pandemic.
Since adopting a ‘Bold Goals’ initiative in 2005, the
California-based health system has posted several gains,
including reduced infections and lower sepsis mortality.
The COVID-19 Delta variant surge may have hit its peak in
California. With a leveling off of new cases in the Bay Area and
the Los Angeles metro area seeing case numbers flattening over
the last two weeks, there are signs of hope.
A group of state and local officials gathered at Be Well OC’s
Mental Health Center in Orange on Friday, August 19, to welcome
on-site programs that went live in January and an infusion of
Celebrate $ 5 million in government funding to help build a
second campus.
For years, Kayla West watched the opioid epidemic tear through
her eastern Tennessee community. As a psychiatric nurse
practitioner, she treated people with mental illness but felt she
needed to do more to address addiction. So in 2020, when
the state created a position to help hospitals improve addiction
care in the emergency room, West jumped at the opportunity.
What does full approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
mean? It means Pfizer’s shot for people 16 and older
has now undergone the same rigorous testing and regulatory review
as dozens of other long-established vaccines.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday that the country could gain control
over the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 by the
spring if an “overwhelming majority” of unvaccinated people get
inoculated, but he warned another strain of the virus could
appear if high rates of infection persist.
The FDA on Monday approved the first CVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine
has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will
now be marketed as Comirnaty, for the prevention of COVID-19
disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.
Pasadena-based Huntington Hospital and Cedars-Sinai Health System
announced that they have cleared all regulatory hurdles and
finalized their
previously announced affiliation.
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and 100% free for
everyone 12 and up in California’s 58 counties. Young people
aged 12 to 15 years old are now eligible to receive the
vaccine. Learn more about why the vaccine is one of our most
powerful tools to end the pandemic.
Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest
level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages,
more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination
requirements and the nation’s hospitals once again fill to
capacity.
California health officials Wednesday said they will expand the
requirement for vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for those
attending large indoor events as the state continues to battle
rising infections from the highly contagious delta variant of the
virus.
The Biden administration has benchmarked more than $19 million in
grants to expand telehealth in rural and underserved communities,
which have continued to lack access to care during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Earlier this month, Scott Reiner, the CEO of Adventist Health,
announced his upcoming departure from the health system. Reiner,
who has led the nonprofit, faith-based system since 2014, will
leave at the end of the year to establish a family foundation to
focus on global health and well-being.
Nurses overwhelmingly support COVID-19 vaccines, mandates, and
boosters if recommended, according to a survey of more than 4,500
nurses released today by the American Nurses Association (ANA).
The COVID-19 vaccine is free. Vaccines are available for
everyone age 12 and over. You will not be asked about your
immigration status when you get a vaccine. You may be
eligible for sick leave when you get a vaccine. See
details. No appointment is needed at many locations.
Leaders of Anthem Blue Cross said Tuesday that they have reached
an agreement with Dignity Health on a new contract, settling a
disagreement that had severed relationships between thousands of
Californians and their Dignity doctors.
As coronavirus case numbers spike, the US has seen a 1,200%
increase in orders for monoclonal antibody treatments in the past
month, the US Health and Human Services Department told CNN
Thursday. About 75% of the orders are coming from regions of the
US that have low vaccination rates.
Healthcare providers plan to incorporate the distribution of an
additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised
individuals with their existing vaccination campaigns—and as
preparation for future efforts to get extra doses to a larger
share of Americans.
U.S. health experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 booster
shots for all Americans eight months after they get their second
dose of the vaccine, to ensure longer-lasting protection as the
delta variant spreads across the country.
CommonSpirit Health becomes the latest in a growing list of
healthcare providers to require its workforce to get vaccinated
against COVID-19 as the number of hospitalizations due to current
surge continues to rise.
The Food and Drug Administration is authorizing an additional
dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for certain people with weakened
immune systems caused either by disease, medical treatments or
organ transplants.
No coronavirus vaccines are approved for anyone under age 12, and
right now, kids of all ages are suffering from a massive spike in
new COVID infections.
Los Angeles County is seeing an increase in COVID-19 deaths.
While cases and hospitalizations have shot up in recent weeks,
deaths are just now starting to really rise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of
the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology are
seeking to more closely tie public health data systems with IT
systems at hospitals.
Propelled by the delta variant and large numbers of unvaccinated
people, COVID-19 patients are flooding California hospitals at a
rate not seen since last winter’s surge.
California announced another round of coronavirus vaccine
incentives on Friday, offering up to $50 apiece to more than 11
million people in the state who get their health insurance
through Medicaid.
The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony
Fauci, said Sunday that he was hopeful the Food and Drug
Administration will give full approval to the coronavirus vaccine
by month’s end and predicted the potential move will spur a wave
of vaccine mandates in the private sector as well as schools and
universities.
Employees of hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices, clinics
and other medical facilities have until Sept. 30 to get at least
one dose of the vaccination, under the new order issued by Dr.
Tomás J. Aragón, California’s public health officer.
The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States crossed 100,000 new
confirmed daily infections Saturday, a milestone last exceeded
during the winter surge and driven by the highly transmissible
delta variant and low vaccination rates in the South.
The delta variant has changed California’s COVID-19 landscape in
a big way. New research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention shows that even fully immunized people can
contract the virus and pass it onto others.
Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine showed 93% efficacy against
symptomatic disease through six months, and the company expects
to complete its application for full approval from the US Food
and Drug Administration this month, the company said Thursday.
Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine helps prevent severe disease
among those infected with the delta variant, according to a trial
involving almost 480,000 health workers in South Africa.
The MemorialCare health system, which operates four major
hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties and other smaller
facilities in the region, announced Wednesday, Aug. 4, it will
require all of its workers to get vaccinated against the
coronavirus by the end of September, citing an “alarming” rise in
patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks and the
spread of the delta variant.
Innovative partnerships were redefining healthcare the same year
Modern Healthcare’s magazine came on the scene in 1976, and these
collaborations remain at the core to how hospitals and health
systems care for patients and communities.
California is currently experiencing the fastest increase in
COVID-19 cases during the entire pandemic with 18.3 new cases per
100,000 people per day, with case rates increasing ninefold
within two months.
Despite improved revenues and increased volumes, margins were
still very tight for hospitals and health systems in June, finds
Kaufman Hall’s new National Hospital Flash Report.
With a new surge of coronavirus infections ripping through much
of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has
accelerated its timetable to fully approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s
coronavirus vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the start
of next month, people familiar with the effort said.
California has seen a substantial increase in the number of
people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 over the last two
weeks, a turnabout that comes as a growing list of
municipalities, businesses and venues are moving to require the
shots for employees and, in some cases, even customers in hopes
of slowing the latest surge.
The past decade marked impressive advancements during the digital
era of American medicine. Hospitals across the country digitized
their medical records, innovators developed tools for care
coordination like telehealth and remote patient monitoring, and
patients and consumers increasingly turned to the internet and
mobile devices to better engage with their physicians and take
ownership of their health.
A plan by Providence and Kaiser Permanente to build a new medical
center in the High Desert region of California is the latest
example of leading hospital chains seeking market advantage.
The U.S. on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of
getting at least one COVID-19 shot into 70% of American adults—a
month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is
swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory
vaccinations around the country.
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Sunday that more “pain and suffering” is
on the horizon as COVID-19 cases climb again and officials plead
with unvaccinated Americans to get their shots.
Providers that received HHS COVID-19 relief funds would get until
the end of the year or the end public health emergency to spend
that money under a bipartisan bill introduced Wednesday.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The state of California.
New York City. Hospitals and nursing homes. Colleges and
universities. Employers are putting COVID-19 vaccine mandates
into place and it’s getting attention.
Upon first inspection, the mutations in the highly contagious
delta COVID variant don’t look that worrisome. For
starters, delta has fewer genetic changes than earlier versions
of the coronavirus.
In an apparent change of heart, the CDC will now recommend all
teachers and students wear masks in school, and that people
living in COVID-19 hotspots, or areas of the country with large
outbreaks, wear masks indoors, according to reports from CNN on
Tuesday.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will require 115,000 of its
frontline health care workers to be vaccinated against the
coronavirus in the next two months, making it the first federal
agency to mandate that employees be inoculated, government
officials said on Monday.
President Joe Biden on Monday marked the 31st anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act by announcing guidance that
extends its protections to people with “long COVID.”
As the delta variant fuels a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, the
nation’s leading infectious disease expert says the U.S. is
headed in the wrong direction, and a vaccine booster may be
needed.
The Catholic Health Association on Friday joined the growing
chorus of prominent healthcare associations and health systems
supporting or implementing employee COVID-19 vaccination
mandates.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
struck a new tone of urgency on Thursday about the
coronavirus pandemic, warning that the United States is “not out
of the woods yet” and is once again at “another pivotal point in
this pandemic” as the highly infectious Delta variant rips
through communities with low rates of vaccination.
The American Hospital Association supports hospitals and health
systems that require their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine,
the group announced Wednesday.
Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and a group of bipartisan
Energy and Commerce members – Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), Rep. Doris
Matsui (D-CA), Rep. Michael C Burgess (R-TX) – sent a letter
Monday to Secretary Xavier Becerra urging the Department of
Health and Human Services to work with Congress to develop a
comprehensive telehealth strategy for Medicare beneficiaries to
continue accessing critical virtual care services following the
expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).
The U.S. surgeon general said Sunday that he’s concerned about
what lies ahead with cases of COVID-19 increasing in every state,
millions still unvaccinated and a highly contagious virus variant
spreading rapidly.
A provision in California’s newly approved state budget will
eliminate the asset test for the 2 million Californians enrolled
in both Medi-Cal and Medicare, the federal health insurance
program for people 65 and older and people under 65 with certain
disabilities.
HHS on Friday said it would make approximately $103 million in
American Rescue Plan funding available to tackle healthcare
worker burnout and promote mental health in the industry.
Pfizer announced U.S. regulators have agreed to a “priority
review” of whether its COVID-19 vaccine should be fully approved,
with a decision set for no later than January
LA County’s decision to reinstate a mask mandate indoors
regardless of vaccination status is generating much controversy.
But some experts say it’s prudent. “This is the right step
to take now because masks can work to curb transmission
immediately,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist
at UC San Francisco.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Thursday called
for a national effort to fight misinformation about COVID-19
and vaccines, urging tech companies, health care workers,
journalists and everyday Americans to do more to address an
“urgent threat” to public health.
A spending bill that would give a 24% funding boost to HHS
healthcare research, public health preparedness and workforce
training programs cleared the House Appropriations Committee
Thursday.
The Public Health Pathogen Genomics Centers of Excellence will
work with academic and public health organizations to advance
pathogen genomics and molecular epidemiology to improve the
control of, and response to, infectious disease, the CDC
said. Grant funding is expected to be awarded in August
2022, with projects beginning the following month.
More than 2 million people have signed up for insurance through
the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplaces since Feb. 15,
taking advantage of the Biden administration’s extended period
for open enrollment that began on that day, the Department of
Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday.
Microsoft will partner with Teladoc Health to integrate virtual
care onto Teams. The platform aims to streamline the
technological and administrative processes involved in providing
telehealth services.
National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses,
is urging the CDC to reestablish its recommendation for everyone
to wear masks in public, regardless of vaccination status, to
prevent COVID-19 infections and variants from spreading.
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