Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for COVID-19 testing before and after international air travel.

The departments of Health and Human Services and Defense announced an $11.6 million contract to domestically produce more nasal swabs for the Cue Health molecular testing system, which detects the COVID-19 virus in about 20 minutes at the point of care.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released updated guidance for states and territories on Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and Basic Health Program coverage and reimbursement for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released recommendations for the ethical allocation of COVID-19 vaccines, once available to the public.

The AHA, along with the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, released Joint Statement: Roadmap for Maintaining Essential Surgery during COVID-19 Pandemic, an update to a previous joint statement most recently released in August.

“[T]his year, we need to show our appreciation to our healthcare heroes and the love we have for our family and friends by wearing a mask and avoiding large family gatherings,” writes Robyn Begley, AHA’s chief nursing officer and CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, in an op-ed published today in Fierce Healthcare.

UnitedHealthcare has delayed from April 1, 2021, until Jan. 1, 2022, its requirement that certain in-network laboratories report their unique laboratory-specific codes along with other information for the overwhelming majority of freestanding and outpatient laboratory testing services.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently distributed 27,000 portable COVID-19 molecular test kits, which Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Texas can use at the point of care to verify antigen test results within 20 minutes.

At Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, we were involved very early in this pandemic. We are still caring for the majority of patients with the coronavirus in our community, and we learn more every day. Looking back on many months of dealing with COVID-19, here are some lessons I learned, which may resonate with you too.

In this AHA blog, AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels discusses the resources hospitals and health systems need and what additional relief Congress should deliver during the COVID-19 public health emergency and beyond.

Join AHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday at 2 p.m. ET for a Project Firstline conversation on caring safely for COVID-19 patients.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit, the first rapid test to detect the COVID-19 virus that one can administer completely at home when prescribed by a health care provider to individuals age 14 or older.

The Department of Health and Human Services issued clarifications sought by the AHA on two problematic reporting requirements for the Provider Relief Fund.

In this AHA blog, AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels discusses the resources hospitals and health systems need and what additional relief Congress should deliver during the COVID-19 public health emergency and beyond.

The Department of Health and Human Services has released a PPE Preservation Planning Toolkit to help organizations implement strategies to preserve personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Food and Drug Administration issued final guidance for health care providers and researchers using investigational COVID-19 convalescent plasma, defined as convalescent plasma that does not meet all conditions of the agency’s emergency use authorization or which is used under an investigational new drug application during the public health emergency.

The AHA, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association urged the Trump administration to share all critical information related to COVID-19 with the Biden transition team.

Moderna Inc. announced that its mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate against COVID-19 is 94.5% effective, according to early data.

As of Nov. 6, about 60% of the nation’s retail pharmacies have agreed to participate in a federal program to administer COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to patients once authorized or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, the departments of Health and Human Services and Defense announced.

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good” is a quote credited to the French writer and thinker Voltaire. Although he died in 1778, that phrase is very appropriate today when discussing the Affordable Care Act.