The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 21.
President Signs Executive Orders
Late this afternoon President Biden signed a series of executive orders and actions to implement his administration’s approach to addressing COVID-19. The following is a look at the orders and what they say.
- Executive Order on Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response and Recovery
- Creates a COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to address health equity and to “…prevent and remedy differences in COVID-19 care and outcomes within communities of color and other underserved populations.”
- Executive Order on a Sustainable Public Health Supply Chain
- Conduct complete and immediate inventory of all supplies, contracts, and abilities to distribute supplies and identify gaps in distribution and areas of need.
- Directs agencies to identify actions to prevent price gouging.
- Orders the creation of a national plan to design, build, and sustain a long-term capability for a pandemic response supply chain.
- Facilitates access to the Strategic National Stockpile by Tribal governments, Indian Health Service health care providers, Tribal health authorities, and Urban Indian Organizations.
- Executive Order on Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19
- Accelerate development of novel therapies.
- Improve capacity of health systems to address COVID-19, including expanded workforce capacity.
- Ensure that the COVID-19 uninsured program is working for patients and providers.
- Clarify that Medicare, Medicaid, group health plans, and insurers cover testing and treatment for COVID-19.
- Memorandum to Extend Federal Support to Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Increase Reimbursement and Other Assistance Provided to States
- Authorizes the National Guard and FEMA to assist states at 100 percent federal cost through September 30, 2021.
- Executive Order on Ensuring a Data-Driven Response to COVID-19 and Future High-Consequence Public Health Threats
- Cross-agency order to improve data collection, sharing, and publication to improve and protect public health.
- Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers
- Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel
- Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety
See all of the executive orders and actions and learn more in the administration’s new document “National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness.”
The Biden Health Care Team
As the Biden administration takes office, the following is a list of its agency health care team:
- Xavier Becerra, nominated to be Secretary of HHS (awaits confirmation)
- Andrea Palm, nominated to be Deputy Secretary (awaits confirmation)
- Dr. Rachel Levine, nominated to be Assistant Secretary (awaits confirmation)
- Sean McCluskie, HHS chief of staff
- Dr. Vivek Murthy, nominated to be Surgeon General (awaits confirmation)
- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC
- Micky Tripathi, director of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
- Dr. Francis Collins, NIH director
Working in acting capacities are:
- Norris Cochran, currently Assistant Secretary of Budget, is Acting Secretary
- Liz Richter, acting CMS Administrator
- Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting director of the FDA
The new administration’s COVID-19 team:
- Jeff Zients, COVID-19 coordinator
- David Kessler, chief science officer of COVID Response
- Rosa Po, COVID response team deputy chief of staff
- Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to the COVID response coordinator
- Vidur Sharma, policy advisor for testing
- Ben Wakana, deputy director of strategic communications and engagement
- Dr. B. Cameron Webb, senior policy advisor for COVID-19 equity
- Amy Chang, policy advisor
Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS’s Office of Civil Rights has announced that it is exercising its discretion in how it applies HIPAA’s privacy, security, and breach notification rules and will not impose penalties for non-compliance against covered health care providers or their business associates in connection with the good-faith use of online or web-based scheduling applications for the scheduling of individual appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Go here to see the Federal Register announcement of this policy.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS has added an appendix to its fact sheet for state and local governments on CMS programs and payment for care provided in hospital alternative sites in response to the COVID-19 emergency.
- In response to the surge in COVID-19 cases, CMS is limiting and/or suspending most surveys and survey enforcement for the next 30 days. This is renewable for additional 30 days.
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls
CMS hosts recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information about the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the health care community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer participants an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls
Tuesday, February 2 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4956655
Audio Webcast link: go here
Tuesday, February 23 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2528725
Audio Webcast link: go here
Tuesday, March 16 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4177586
Audio Webcast link: go here
Tuesday, April 6 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2769397
Audio Webcast link: go here
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The CDC has updated its guidance for expanded testing to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
- The CDC has updated its information about COVID-19 vaccinations for residents and staff of long-term-care facilities.
- The CDC has updated its data on reported cases of COVID-19 variants.
- The CDC has updated its toolkit for the employers of essential workers to help organize and educate their workers about COVID-19 vaccinations.
- The CDC has published data on COVID-19 trends among persons ages 0-24 in the U.S. from March 1 through December 12, 2020.
- The CDC has posted new information about the emergence of the COVID-19 UK variant (B.1.1.7).
- The CDC has posted information about workplace consent elements and disclosures for COVID-19 testing.
Food and Drug Administration
- The FDA has updated its investigational COVID-19 convalescent plasma guidance and corresponding webpage.
- The FDA has posted updated information for blood establishments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and blood donation.
- The FDA has issued guidance on its policy for testing of alcohol (ethanol) and isopropyl alcohol for methanol, including during the COVID-19 emergency.
American Medical Association