The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first COVID-19 antigen test that allows health care providers to read the results in minutes directly from the testing card, similar to some pregnancy tests.
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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Learning mental health first aid could ease the exacerbation of behavioral health conditions during the COVID-19 public health emergency, writes Katherine Bunting, chief executive officer of Illinois-based Fairfield Memorial Hospital. Learn more about the importance of knowing how to respond and training opportunities.
Partnering with trusted sources and offering relevant incentives may encourage individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to respond to health department contact tracing efforts, according to a report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Societal Experts Action Network.
The Defense Logistics Agency will begin distributing 1.5 million N95 respirators from the Strategic National Stockpile to about 3,330 nursing homes in the Medicare and Medicaid programs that have less than a three-day supply, the Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its national training program to prevent and control COVID-19 in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. The training incorporates best practices and lessons learned from COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and CMS inspections, with input from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts.
The National Governors Association and other organizations representing cities and states expressed concern that the Federal Emergency Management Agency may eliminate personal protective equipment and disinfectants as eligible reimbursable expenses under public assistance for COVID-19, citing recent communications from the agency.
Other public health departments might benefit from implementing tools like Kentucky’s Indicator Monitoring Report, which combines multiple data elements to generate a daily COVID-19 status score to systematically assess the state’s mitigation, response and reopening efforts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
The Small Business Administration released an interim final rule, effective immediately, on the process for Paycheck Protection Program borrowers to appeal certain SBA loan review decisions to the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals.
Island child care programs reported just 52 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases after reopening in June and July, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
AHA Board Chair Melinda Estes, M.D., will be joined by Rachelle Schultz, president and CEO of Winona Health, for the next in a series of Leadership Rounds – short conversations on a range of key issues Dr. Estes will have with hospital and health system leaders from across the country.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for investigational convalescent plasma to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized patients.
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services extended the Sept. 1 deadline for hospitals to apply for reclassification of their Medicare area wage index for fiscal year 2022 until 15 days after the agency releases its inpatient prospective payment system final rule for FY 2021.
August is traditionally the time to take a break, go on vacation, or just slow it down and relax for a bit. For many people, that’s off the table this year. COVID-19’s impact on health, our economy and our ability to gather in groups has been a game changer for people’s personal plans.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of a rapid point-of-care antigen test to detect SARS-CoV-2 directly from nasal swab specimens.
AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on hospitals with former CNN anchor Frank Sesno, director of The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs and host of the Healthy You: Surviving a Pandemic podcast series.
The Department of Health and Human Services amended the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to authorize state-licensed pharmacists and pharmacy interns under their supervision to order and administer vaccines to children, subject to certain requirements.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study examining how COVID-19 is affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives — one of the populations at highest risk for the disease.
The Food and Drug Administration released a resource to help U.S. health care providers select respirators for their health care facility.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released a report summarizing the particulate filtration efficiency of non-NIOSH-approved N95 respirators made in other countries and authorized for emergency use during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The AHA urged President Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to act on behalf of hospitals and health systems by further expanding telehealth flexibilities.