Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Update

HBMA COVID-19 Federal Response Update

White House and Federal Agencies

• HHS announced two upcoming actions by the CDC to provide more than $22 billion in funding to states, localities, and territories in support of the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as directed by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
  • Funding for COVID-19 testing
  • Funding for vaccination-related activities
• Dr. Moncef Slaoui will continue working for Operation Warp Speed for one-month to help with the transition to the Biden Administration.
• CMS posted additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to Medicaid.gov, to aid state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• CMS updated COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates

• CDC provides recommendations on what to do if you experience an allergic reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination.  It also provides recommendations for people who have had allergic reactions to other vaccines and for those with other types of allergies.
• CDC released an MMWR on the Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S.
• CDC updated information about the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
• Now that there are authorized and recommended vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in the United States, here are 8 things you need to know about the new COVID-19 Vaccination Program and COVID-19 vaccines.
• CDC guidance for businesses and employers to plan, prepare, and respond to COVID-19.?
• CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield signed a declaration determining that the evictions of tenants could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
• CDC released an MMWR on the Implications of Shortened Quarantine Among Household Contacts of Index Patients with Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection in TN and WI between April and September, 2020. After exposure to COVID-19, a 14-day quarantine period can prevent further spread but might be challenging to maintain. Among persons exposed to COVID-19 in the household who were asymptomatic and had negative laboratory test results through 7 days after symptom onset in the index patient, 19% experienced symptoms or received positive test results in the following week.
• CDC updated information on considerations for returning to work.

Vaccine, Testing and Treatment

• FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn released a statement on following the authorized dosing schedules for COVID-19. The available data continue to support the use of two specified doses of each authorized vaccine at specified intervals. For the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the interval is 21 days between the first and second dose. And for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the interval is 28 days between the first and second dose.
  • Operation Warp Speed (OWS) Director Dr. Moncef Slaoui said government advisors were considering if patients could receive lower doses of the vaccine until vaccine supply improves.
• A new study shows that Moderna’s vaccine was 94.1% efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19. The vaccine also demonstrated efficacy in preventing severe COVID-19.
• HHS Secretary Azar says states should expand the people who they offer the vaccine to in order to avoid wasting vaccines.
• HHS is accelerating its efforts to distribute vaccines through pharmacies.
• NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci believes the U.S. will soon be able to vaccinate 1 million people a day.
• U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams says states should not let their vaccine priority plans slow vaccinations.
• HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, and General Gustave Perna held a briefing to share updates on Operation Warp Speed and the COVID-19 vaccines.