- CDC treatment guideline update; vaccine dosing and delivery
White House and Federal Agencies
- President-elect Biden announced three new COVID-19 response advisors:
- Dr. Bechara Choucair, a Kaiser Permanente executive and family physician, will be the national COVID-19 vaccine coordinator.
- Carole Johnson, the commissioner of New Jersey’s human services department and a former White House senior health adviser, will be the national COVID-19 testing coordinator.
- Tim Manning, former deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will be the national COVID-19 supply coordinator.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- The CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines are published in an electronic format that can be updated in step with the rapid pace and growing volume of information regarding the treatment of COVID-19.
- CDC updated:
- information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers on managing pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
- information for residents of and visitors to retirement communities and independent living facilities on everyday preventive actions to help keep their communities safe.
- FAQs for event planners during the public health emergency.
Economy, Vaccine, Testing and Treatment
- “Anyone who receives the Moderna or Pfizer [coronavirus] vaccine must get two full doses”, two top U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials said Monday. Additionally, FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., and Dr. Peter Marks, who heads FDA’s vaccine division, “dismissed other ideas for stretching the vaccine supply and said people who are speculating about the possibility of making do with just one dose or cutting doses in half are misinterpreting the data.”
- As of Jan. 2, 13 million COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed, of which, 4.2 million have been administered. This includes both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
- Dr. Moncef Slaoui, who leads the White House Operation Warp Speed Initiative, said he believes AstraZeneca’s vaccine will receive an emergency use authorization by early April.
- Pfizer and BioNTech will offer its vaccine to its clinical trial participants who received the placebo by March 1st.
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said he believes life will not return to “normal” until the fall of 2021.
