Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) News

Below are links to AHA Today stories on novel coronavirus (COVID-19). For all coronavirus resources and news updates, visit our COVID-19 page.

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As hospitals and health systems continue to treat COVID-19 patients and manage the impacts of the pandemic on their workforce and broader organizations, they also can push forward strategic imperatives that will ensure a health care delivery system prepared to meet future challenges, writes Lindsey Dunn Burgstahler, vice president, programming and intelligence, for the AHA Center for Health innovation.
The AHA released a new issue of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.
Many staffing agencies have been exploiting the severe shortage of health care personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic by charging uniformly high prices in a manner that suggests widespread coordination and abuse of market position, the AHA and American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living told White House COVID-19 Response Team Coordinator Jeffrey Zients.
The Health Resources and Services Administration will distribute $2 billion in a second wave of Provider Relief Fund “Phase 4” payments to providers who experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic based on changes in operating revenues and expenses from July 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services announced.
SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may cause inflammatory immune responses in the fetus, even if the virus does not infect the placenta, according to a small National Institutes of Health study published in the journal Nature Communications.
As urged by the AHA, the Department of Health and Human Services today renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration for another 90 days effective Jan. 16. The extension will help hospitals and health systems combat COVID-19 in their communities. 
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services vaccine mandate to go into effect nationwide while blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine requirements from taking effect. The Court ruled 5-4 in allowing the CMS vaccine mandate to go into effect and 6-3 in blocking the OSHA mandates. 
The AHA released a new issue of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.
President Biden announced he will deploy over 120 military medical personnel to hospitals in six states hit hard by the new COVID-19 variant: Michigan, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Rhode Island.
To ensure continuation of critical 1135 waivers and Medicaid coverage flexibilities, the AHA today urged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to renew for at least another 90 days the
The National Institutes of Health last week released a pair of studies offering fresh insights into COVID-19’s long-term effect on pediatric groups.
The AHA released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.
The AHA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Medical Association in urging the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a district court decision that refused to allow a case involving the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005 to proceed in federal court and sent it back to state court for further proceedings.  
Two new COVID-19 home tests are now available to consumers in the U.S. Tests from SD Biosensor and Siemens in December gained Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization, in part driven by the Department of Health and Human Services’ accelerated pathway to support FDA’s review of tests with potential for large-scale manufacturing. 
by Rick Pollack
As we reach the end of year two confronting a hopefully once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, caregivers are understandably tired from giving their all to care for patients, comfort families, save lives and protect communities. 
The AHA released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot underscoring the persisting challenges facing hospitals and health systems during the ongoing public health emergency.
The Health Resources and Services Administration has reopened the Provider Relief Fund portal until Dec. 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET to allow certain health care providers who experienced technical or other problems reporting on funds received between April 30 and June 30, 2020, to comply with the original reporting requirements before the agency recoups the funds or takes other enforcement actions.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its COVID-19 technical assistance to clarify when COVID-19 might qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
After treating the first confirmed COVID-19 patient in the U.S., Providence health system was able to use its scale and scope to quickly ramp up and deploy resources in response to the unprecedented public health emergency, the organization writes in “Better Together: The Value of Scale.”
The Department of Health and Human Services announced that later this week it will distribute $9 billion of the $17 billion in Provider Relief Fund “Phase 4” payments to providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.