COVID-19 Federal Responses: Thursday, March 31, 2022

The CDC created a calculator tool to help people diagnosed with COVID-19 understand for how long they should quarantine or isolate.
The White House launched COVID.gov. The site has tools to find a county’s CDC-designated risk level, testing, vaccines, and various information, as well as test-to-treat program sites.
Some epidemiology experts, including the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, do not expect a surge in the U.S. similar to the current surge in Europe. This is in part due to CDC estimates that 95% of the U.S. population over 16 have COVID antibodies.
The CDC published the following reports and website updates including COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Age.

Congress

Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitt Romney are negotiating a bill that would provide an additional $10 billion to the federal government’s COVID response amid concerns about readiness for another surge later this year.
- Due to lack of funding, COVID tests are no longer free for uninsured patients in some places and the same will be true of vaccines next week.

The White House launched COVID.gov. The site has tools to find a county’s CDC-designated risk level, testing, vaccines, and various information.
- The website also includes a way to find pharmacies and clinics participating in a “test-to-treat” program where one can get tested and receive antiviral pills on the spot upon receipt of a positive test.
A group of 21 states are suing the Biden administration with the goal of ending mask mandates for public transportation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has entirely lifted its risk advisory for cruise ships. The risk advisory had recommended to entirely avoid cruise ships regardless of vaccination status.
- The agency still says that potential passengers should be up to date on COVID-19 vaccination and follow ship-specific recommendations.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized administration of a second booster of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID vaccines for people over 50. The second booster is for at least four months after a patient’s first booster.
The CDC created a calculator tool to help people diagnosed with COVID-19 understand for how long they should quarantine or isolate.
As of Tuesday (3/29), the BA.2 subvariant accounts for 54% of cases nationally, making it the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the United States.
- Some epidemiology experts, including the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, do not expect a surge in the U.S. similar to the current surge in Europe. This is in part due to CDC estimates that 95% of the U.S. population over 16 have COVID antibodies.
A study estimates that contact tracing during the 2020-2021 winter surge prevented 1.11 to 1.36 million cases.
A study found that patients with COVID-19 were four times more likely to require mechanical ventilation and 2.4 times more likely to die if they also had the flu.
The Biden administration is expanding vaccination efforts of migrants in custody along the southern border.
Several hospital and medical associations urged the Department of Health and Human Services to extend the declaration of a public health emergency. It is currently set to expire on April 16.

The CDC published the following reports and website updates: