Noteworthy stories related to the pandemic are decreasing so this will be our last FEDERAL UPDATE. We will continue to keep membership advised of all the latest developments. Thank you for your interest and continued support.
White House and Federal Agencies
- The CDC removed COVID-19 travel advisories listed by country. Moving forward, the CDC will announce travel advisories for countries based on the risk of a COVID-19 variant concern.
- The CDC redefines an individual as “up to date” with COVID vaccinations when the eligible individual received both primary series vaccines and the most recent booster dose.
- The CDC reported COVID variant BA.4.6 makes up approximately 13% of existing COVID cases while BA.5 made up approximately 81.3%.
- The Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit from 10 states challenging the Biden Administration for mandating vaccinations in healthcare facilities.
Vaccine, Testing, and Treatment
- Approximately 7.6 million Americans have received the new bivalent Omicron booster, according to the CDC. This represents 3.6% of eligible Americans.
- A new Kaiser Family Foundation study found:
- Approximately 33% of all adults have received or intend to receive the new bivalent Omicron booster.
- Approximately 45% of adults 65 and older have received or intend to receive the new bivalent Omicron booster.
- A study from the Journal of Infection reported Paxlovid does not pose a significant risk for COVID-19 reinfection compared other COVID-19 treatments.
- The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation issued guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients with Long-COVID.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
The CDC published the following reports and website updates:
- Cases in the U.S.
- Effectiveness of a Second COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose Against Infection, Hospitalization, or Death Among Nursing Home Residents — 19 States, March 29–July 25, 2022
- COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review
- Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination
- COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2022-09-29 – The Vaccinations in the US page that displays charts for “Vaccine Administration by Vaccine Type” and “Vaccine Distribution by Vaccine Type” were relabeled with “Pfizer/Moderna original” and “Pfizer/Moderna updated booster” data were added.
- CDC Strategy for Global Response to COVID-19 (2020-2023)
- Stay Up to Date with Your Vaccines
- Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination
