- Federal public health experts are beginning to recommend the use of face shields in addition to face masks in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- The Federal Reserve (FR) announced it is extending many of its emergency lending programs until the end of the year. Many of these programs were only set to run through September 30.
- The FR is also maintaining its interest rate at 0%-0.25%.
- Vaccine developments continue to show promise.
Congress
Congress has not made much progress on a new bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill. Serious negotiations are ongoing, but it is clear Congress will not pass legislation before certain policies expire on July 31. Congress is now discussing a stand-alone bill to extend some of those policies, such as increased unemployment insurance benefits, for an additional week while negotiations on the larger package continue.
White House and Federal Agencies
President Trump announced a new “Embers Strategy” to direct resources to COVID-19 hotspots.
During a visit to the American Red Cross headquarters, President Trump urged people who recovered from COVID-19 to donate their blood plasma.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CMS announced it will begin reimbursing providers for counseling patients to self-isolate during a COVID-19 test. CMS also developed a COVID counseling checklist.
Federal public health experts are beginning to recommend the use of face shields in addition to masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a new report showing the dramatic utilization trends of telehealth services for primary care delivery in Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare in the early days of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Director, Dr. Anthony Fauci, discussed why COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting Black communities.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an updated COVID-19 Response At-A-Glance Summary that provides a quick look at facts, figures, and highlights of the agency's response efforts.
The FDA updated its list of potentially harmful hand sanitizers.
The FDA posted a video that provides COVID-19 information to pet owners.
The Federal Reserve (FR) announced it is extending many of its emergency lending programs until the end of the year. Many of these programs were only set to run through September 30.
- The FR is also maintaining its interest rate at 0%-0.25%.
- FR Chair Jerome Powell discussed how social distancing and other safety measures are essential to the economic recovery.
The U.S. economy contracted by about 33 percent on an annualized basis in the second quarter of 2020. This decline in the gross domestic product (GDM) was fully expected as Q2 was the height of the economic shutdown in response to the coronavirus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC updated its FAQs for healthcare workers on any clinical questions they may have regarding COVID-19.
CDC updated guidance for businesses and workplaces to plan, prepare, and respond to COVID-19, especially if they are open.
CDC released new resources and tools for school administrators, teachers, parents, guardians, and caregivers when schools open this fall and deciding how to go back to school. CDC also updated checklists for going back to school with policies to minimize COVID-19.
CDC updated information on health equity and published new information about how systemic health and social inequities have put many racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.
- CDC released a 5-Page COVID-19 response health equity strategy that focuses on accelerating progress towards reducing COVID-19 disparities and achieving health equity.
CDC updated information on symptoms, testing, what to do if you are sick, and at risk groups.
CDC updated information on how to clean and disinfect a facility after someone with COVID-19 has been in it.
CDC updated additional public service announcements (PSAs) on general COVID-19 everyday prevention actions, people who need extra precautions, and travel.
Reopening, Testing and Treatment
HHS announced a new partnership with Texas A&M University to increase manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines that are eventually approved.
HHS will partner with the Department of Energy (DOE) to use Summit, the United States’ fastest supercomputer, located at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to research COVID-19 vaccine development.
HHS published an updated list of how it has allocated remdesivir treatments for COVID-19 to states.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released new information on the vaccine it is developing with Moderna which shows that two doses of the experimental vaccine induced robust immune responses and rapidly controlled the coronavirus in monkeys exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
A vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson showed promising early results.
Pfizer outlined its commercial strategy for the vaccine it is developing.
.greenbox{
border-radius: 15px;
background: #e0f2d8;
line-height: 1.7em;
margin-bottom: 30px;
padding: 20px;
}
