The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 11.
White House
The White House has posted a transcript of the March 10 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS has updated its guidance on nursing home visitation, easing current restrictions. According to the updated guidance, facilities should permit responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status of the resident or visitor, except under specific, defined circumstances. The updated guidance also emphasizes that “compassionate care” visits should be permitted at all times. CMS continues to recommend that facilities, residents, and families adhere to the core principles of COVID-19 infection control, including maintaining physical distancing and conducting visits outdoors whenever possible. For further information, consult the following resources:
- CMS has published a statement explaining that on a temporary basis and under certain circumstances, non-CLIA-certified facilities may perform testing to identify COVID-19 genetic variants.
Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has published information about the approval, allocation, distribution, and administration of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 within health care facilities.
- HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has posted a webinar on the role of physical therapists in the response to COVID-19. Go here to register to view the webinar and find the webinar presentation here.
- HHS’s Office of Minority Health will spend $250 million to encourage COVID-19 safety and vaccination among underserved populations, offering the funding as health literacy grants to localities that will work with community organizations to reach racial and ethnic minority, rural, and other vulnerable populations. See the HHS announcement of the initiative.
HHS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls
HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response sponsors COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice that are interactive virtual learning sessions that seek to create a peer-to-peer learning network in which clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes. These webinar topics are covered every week:
- EMS: Patient Care and Operations (Mondays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
- Critical Care: Lifesaving Treatment and Clinical Operations (Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
- Emergency Department: Patient Care and Clinical Operations (Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
Go here for information about signing up to participate in the sessions and go here for access to materials and video recordings of past sessions.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The CDC has updated its audience-specific toolkits for communicating with different types of people and groups about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.
- The CDC has updated its information about reported adverse reactions some people have had to COVID-19 vaccines.
- The CDC has updated its information about possible side effects from COVID-19 vaccines.
- The CDC has updated its guidance on COVID-19 infection control for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
- The CDC has updated its information about COVID-19 for people with disabilities and about the value of obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine.
- The CDC has updated its guidance describing and comparing different types of COVID-19 testing strategies, including their intended use and applications, regulatory requirements, and reporting requirements.
- The CDC has updated its guidance for risk assessment and work restrictions for health care workers with potential exposure to COVID-19 to clarify that it continues to recommend work restrictions of fully vaccinated health care workers who have had higher-risk exposure to COVID-19.
- The CDC has updated its information on strategies to mitigate health care personnel staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The CDC has updated its collection of training resources on COVID-19 for health care professionals.
- The CDC has updated its guidance for businesses and employers responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- The CDC has updated its guidance for safe events and gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Food and Drug Administration
The FDA has established a web page that briefly outlines treatment options for people with COVID-19.
Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service has prepared a directory of COVID-19 resources in a brief new document “COVID-19: Selected Medicare Resources for Beneficiaries and Health Care Providers.”