COVID-19 Federal Responses: Monday, April 4, 2022

Increasing rates of norovirus infection are responsible for a wave of stomach flu. Cases are easily confused with COVID-19 as both can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, though it is very unlikely that someone with G.I. symptoms and no respiratory symptoms has COVID.
A study found the risk of myocarditis and other heart conditions are much higher after COVID infection than after COVID vaccination. The condition is a rare side effect of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines.
The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases completed a series of studies on Merck’s molnupiravir treatment for COVID-19. Researchers found that patients who took the COVID-19 antiviral experienced a faster decline in both symptoms and viral load, and that the drug works equally well in immunocompromised patients.
The CDC updates its website and guidelines including COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People; Information about the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine; Information about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine; and Assessment of Epidemiology Capacity in State Health Departments — United States, 2021.

Congress

After reaching a bipartisan agreement, the Senate is expected to pass a $10 billion COVID aid package redirecting unused money from other bills to COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccination efforts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that a policy limiting immigration across the southern border of the United States is no longer necessary to slow the spread of COVID. The restrictions will end on May 23.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new information about how it will begin covering eight at-home COVID tests free for Medicare beneficiaries that have Part B and those in Medicare Advantage.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID is at its lowest point since tracking of the figure started in July 2020.
The CDC is working to integrate local health agencies into its increasingly popular wastewater surveillance programs, and will soon add new parameters to the project’s data reporting.
Increasing rates of norovirus infection are responsible for a wave of stomach flu. Cases are easily confused with COVID-19 as both can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, though it is very unlikely that someone with G.I. symptoms and no respiratory symptoms has COVID.
A study found the risk of myocarditis and other heart conditions are much higher after COVID infection than after COVID vaccination. The condition is a rare side effect of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines.
The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases completed a series of studies on Merck’s molnupiravir treatment for COVID-19. Researchers found that patients who took the COVID-19 antiviral experienced a faster decline in both symptoms and viral load, and that the drug works equally well in immunocompromised patients.

The CDC published the following reports and website updates: