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CDC is increasing monitoring of new COVID variants; CDC provided updated vaccine codes; FDA says N95 masks can only be reused for 4 decontamination cycles
Congress
- President Biden reached out to a bipartisan group of senators about his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 plan. It does not appear that his plan can get 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster and would require the use of the Budget Reconciliation process – which is not subject to the filibuster. It is unlikely that the entirety of President Biden’s plan can be passed using reconciliation.
White House and Federal Agencies
- President Biden said he believes COVID-19 vaccines will be widely available to the public by the spring.
- The Biden Administration will resume holding regular COVID-19 briefings with federal public health officials.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now says that N95 masks can only be reused for up to four decontamination cycles.
- President Biden directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to investigate whether new regulations or guidance are needed to protect workers from COVID-19.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- The CDC now says that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be administered up to six weeks apart.
- The CDC published new data on the rarity of allergic reactions to Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines.
- The CDC updated:
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- its information pages for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
- its FAQ page on the COVID-19 Vaccines.
- its webpage about COVID-19 Vaccine Related Codes.
- its What to Expect at Your Appointment to get Vaccinated for COVID-19 web page.
Vaccine, Testing and Treatment
- This article lists each state’s website for COVID-19 vaccine information including how to sign up to receive the vaccine.
- As of January 24, the CDC says 21.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. Of that total, 3.2 million people have received their second dose while 18.5 million have only received their first dose.
- Eli Lilly reports that its drug bamlanivimab is effective at reducing risk of infection for COVID-19.
- Moderna says that its vaccine is less effective against a COVID-19 strain that was identified in South Africa. Moderna is testing booster shots against the new strain.
- According to National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, preliminary data indicates that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are less effective against some of the new COVID-19 variants.
- The CDC is increasing its monitoring of new variants.
- The Biden Administration issued new restrictions for international travelers to help control the spread of the new strains.
