Posted by Congress
- With federal funding set to expire after September 30th, House Democrats introduced legislation to extend federal funding until December 11th. Republicans want the bill to include assistance for farmers and are signaling they will not support the bill unless those provisions are added. Thus far, COVID-19 relief is not included in the funding bill.
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee will hold another hearing on the federal COVID-19 response that features testimony from National Insititue of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn and Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services Adm. Brett Giroir, MD. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23rd.
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will testify at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday and at a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday.
- Chairman Powell will also testify at a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on Wednesday.
- The House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
- On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee’s Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and COVID-19.
White House and Federal Agencies
- President Trump said that every American will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine by April, 2021. Similarly, Dr. Scott Atlas, an advisor to President Trump on the coronavirus response, said the U.S. government will have over 100 million vaccines by the end of the year.
- CMS issued revised guidance providing detailed recommendations on ways nursing homes can safely facilitate visitation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- The CDC removed guidance that it issued on Sunday about the aerosolized spread of COVID-19. According to the CDC, the guidance was still in draft form and was mistakenly published before it was finalized.
- The CDC updated its guidelines for who should be tested to recommend that asymptomatic people who were potentially exposed to the virus should seek a test. CDC received criticism when it previously updated the guidelines to say that asymptomatic people do not need tests.
- A new study from the CDC highlights how COVID-19 can spread during air travel.
- CDC updated 10 clinical tips on COVID-19 for healthcare providers involved in patient care.
- CDC is actively working to learn more about the whole range of short- and long-term health effects associated with COVID-19. As the pandemic unfolds, the CDC is learning that many organs besides the lungs are affected by COVID-19 and there are many ways the infection can affect someone’s health.
- New data from the CDC show that adult obesity prevalence is increasing and racial and ethnic disparities persist.
- CDC is collaborating with state, local, and territorial health departments and external partners to better understand COVID-19 during pregnancy.
- CDC updated information on what you can do to help ensure the well-being of young adults during the pandemic. CDC also updated information on keeping children, teens, and young adults healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- CDC released a MMWR that shows influenza activity reached record low levels earlier this year during the pandemic.
Economic Recovery, Vaccine, Treatment and Testing
- The U.S. reached a one-day testing record by conducting over 1 million COVID-19 tests.
- A National Public Radio (NPR) report highlights how ICUs have improved at treating COVID-19.
- AstraZeneca released new information about its trial in response to a potential adverse reaction to its COVID-19 vaccine during clinical trials. The trial has resumed in the U.K. but is still on hold in the U.S. pending more information about the reaction.
Updates provided by Capitol Associates, AHRA’s Regulatory Affairs Partner in Washington, DC
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