- A study found that COVID-19 patients from more socially vulnerable neighborhoods—measured by an index that incorporates factors like socioeconomic status, level of education, housing, and minority status—experience worse health outcomes.
- However, a neighborhood’s Social Vulnerability Index is not associated with mortality rate, suggesting that the disparity arises from likelihood to seek care, not the outcome of care once it is received.
- HHS released $560 billion in Provider Relief Funds intended to help providers under financial pressure due to COVID-19. Phase 4 payments have an increased focus on equity, including reimbursing a higher percentage of losses for smaller providers and incorporating bonus payments for providers who serve Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicare beneficiaries, HHS said.
- The Biden administration outlined its plan to increase the accessibility of masks and COVID-19 testing for older individuals and people with disabilities.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance on mask wearing that place fewer Americans in areas where wearing masks indoors is unsafe. Its newer method of distinguishing low-, medium-, and high-risk areas places less emphasis on total case numbers than previous models, and more on measures such as COVID-19 hospital admissions and the portion of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Transcript for CDC Media Telebriefing: Update on COVID-19
- Studies spurred by anecdotal reports of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) after receipt of Pfizer’, Johnson & Johnson’, or Moderna’s COVID vaccines suggests that incidence is extremely rare and small in effect.
- The CDC updates its website and guidelines including People with Certain Medical Conditions and COVID-19 Information for Specific Groups of People.
White House and Federal Agencies
- President Biden met with pandemic experts to discuss the global trajectory of the pandemic, and how the United States’ international response will proceed.
- HHS released $560 billion in Provider Relief Funds intended to help providers under financial pressure due to COVID-19.
- The Biden administration outlined its plan to increase the accessibility of masks and COVID-19 testing for older individuals and people with disabilities.
Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance on mask wearing that place fewer Americans in areas where wearing masks indoors is unsafe; only 28% of the population lives in “high risk” areas—where masking is recommended—and the CDC has dropped its recommendation of universal school masking.
- Its newer method of distinguishing low-, medium-, and high-risk areas places less emphasis on total case numbers than previous models, and more on measures such as COVID-19 hospital admissions and the portion of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
- Nearly half of the Biden Administration’s stock of free COVID tests remain unclaimed.
- Studies spurred by anecdotal reports of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) after receipt of the Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, or Moderna’s COVID vaccines suggests that incidence is extremely rare and small in effect.
- Medicaid enrollees are being vaccinated against COVID-19 at lower rates than the general population. The exact cause is unknown but may be due to higher rates of vaccine hesitancy and lesser fear of COVID-19 infection.
- A study found that COVID-19 patients from more socially vulnerable neighborhoods—measured by an index that incorporates factors like socioeconomic status, level of education, housing, and minority status—experience worse health outcomes.
- However, a neighborhood’s Social Vulnerability Index is not associated with mortality rate, suggesting that the disparity arises from likelihood to seek care, not the outcome of care once it is received.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- The CDC published the following reports and website updates:
- Cases in the U.S.
- COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States
- Case Investigation and Contact Tracing : Part of a Multipronged Approach to Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Transcript for CDC Media Telebriefing: Update on COVID-19
- SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Transmission Within Households — Four U.S. Jurisdictions, November 2021–February 2022
- COVID-19 Community Levels
- What You Need to Know About Variants
- Families and COVID-19
- Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People
- Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination
- Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs
- People with Certain Medical Conditions
- How to Select, Wear, and Clean Your Mask
- How to Protect Yourself & Others
- COVID-19 Information for Specific Groups of People
