COVID-19 Federal Responses: Thursday, July 9, 2020

Congress

• The White House is urging Congress to pass another stimulus package. There is bipartisan desire for more relief legislation, but Congress is not close to agreeing on how much money to spend or how to spend it.
• As the U.S. experiences a rise in COVID-19 cases, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reiterated that a new coronavirus relief bill will be necessary. Senate Republicans are expected to focus their priorities on safely reopening schools and the economy.
• The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will be holding a hearing on July 21 featuring testimony from five drug manufacturers currently working to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Additional details about the hearing will be announced the week prior.
• A group of Democratic Health Committee leaders wrote a letter to the administration expressing their concerns about a loophole that would allow health plans to deny claims for COVID-19 testing.

White House and Federal Agencies

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance for election polling locations on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but continue to recommend that voters consider alternatives to in-person voting.
• The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a Fact Sheet for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers detailing eligibility requirements and the application process for the Provider Relief Fund distribution.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new clinical trials network aimed at enrolling large numbers of participants in large-scale clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines.
• The CDC has updated information related to their COVID-19 global response efforts.
• The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is supporting research that focuses on the role and impact of digital health interventions for vulnerable populations. The NIMHD is looking for investigators to participate.
• The CDC released an analysis that showed that of the 17,358 meat processing facility workers with COVID-19, 56% were Hispanic, 19% were Black, 13% were white, and 12% were Asian. These data reflect a disproportionate incidence among workers from racial minority groups.19.

Reopening, Vaccine and Treatment

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), warns that initial versions of a COVID-19 vaccine will likely be limited in how long it provides protection.
• Dr. Fauci expressed his support for mask mandates issued by local governments to slow the spread of COVID-19.
  • Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. coronavirus response coordinator, is praising governors who have mandated masks, enforced social distancing, and closed bars, saying that their actions can “change the course of this pandemic.”
• On July 3, the CDC updated its guidelines on how to reopen businesses and workplaces.
• The CDC released guidelines and considerations for communities that plan to host events and gatherings
• The White House and the CDC plan to supplement some of the CDC guidelines for reopening schools.
• Novavax  received $1.6 billion in government funding to support late-stage trials and expanded manufacturing capacity for a COVID-19 vaccine it is developing. The funding was awarded as part of the White House Operation Warp Speed initiative.
• Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Brett Giroir announced about 16.5 million tests were performed in June, exceeding the 12.9 million goal, but result turnaround times can be anywhere between 2 to 5 days.
• HHS announced it will set up “surge” sites for free COVID-19 testing in Jacksonville, FL, Baton Rouge, LA, and Edinburg, TX. These communities have faced recent spikes in new infections. Dr. Fauci describes the state of the United States’ COVID-19 outbreak as “really not good,” citing this resurgence of infections.

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