Oklahoma voters approved expanding the state’s Medicaid initiative, the first state to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ballot question, which passed with nearly 50.5% of the vote, initiates a state constitutional amendment to provide Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the poverty level.
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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The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance for the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, outlining key considerations to satisfy requirements for chemistry, manufacturing and control, nonclinical and clinical data.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the reestablishment of the Ready Reserve Corps, a uniformed services that provides trained and ready personnel available on short notice to fill critical public health needs.
Hospitals face a triple threat with financial losses due to COVID-19, AHA President and CEO said on CNBC.
The Senate passed by unanimous consent legislation (S. 4116) extending the Paycheck Protection Program loan application period through Aug. 8. It’s unclear if the House will take up the legislation before the July 4th recess.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of two COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tests. The tests from Inform Diagnostics Inc. and Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory LLC detect in respiratory specimens nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Three of the five most effective cloth face coverings tested by the National Institute of Standards and Technology were 100% cotton and had a visible raised fiber or nap, such as found on flannels, the agency announced.
More than 350 hospital and health system leaders from across the country this afternoon participated in an AHA Virtual Advocacy Day to urge senators to include priorities that support hospitals and health systems in the next COVID-19 legislative package.
An AHA report released finds that the financial strain facing hospitals and health systems due to COVID-19 will continue through at least 2020, with total losses expected to be at least $323 billion in 2020.
The Administration for Community Living July 1 at 2 p.m. ET will host a webinar featuring leaders sharing COVID19-related and other resources and research to help support older adults and persons with disabilities residing in rural communities.
The University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s Project ECHO July 2 will host at 12 p.m. ET a collaborative webinar on COVID-19’s treatment using dexamethasone and other steroids. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is the university’s effort to demonopolize knowledge and amplify the capacity to provide best practice care for underserved people all over the world.
SARS-CoV-2 infections may be 10 times higher than reported cases, according to new data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnership with commercial laboratories to test de-identified clinical blood specimens for antibodies in Connecticut, South Florida, the New York City area, Missouri, Utah and western Washington state.
The AHA outlined a number of actions Congress could take to help the nation prepare for the next pandemic, noting that the current pandemic also remains a challenge.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced an agreement with drug maker Gilead Sciences to allow U.S. hospitals to purchase up to 500,000 treatment courses of remdesivir through September, which HHS and state health departments will allocate as they did the previous 120,000 treatment courses donated by the drug maker.
“I just can’t imagine going back because people recognize the value of this.” That’s what Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said recently about the increased use of telehealth, signaling that doctoring from a distance — which has shown itself to be a lifesaving tool during the COVID-19 pandemic — could be here to stay.
As many front-line health care workers move beyond the immediate pandemic crisis, now is the time to reflect on the psychological toll, writes Jesse Burgard, a regional chief mental health officer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and AHA Behavioral Health Services Council member.
The Food and Drug Administration added the AustinP51 emergency-use system to its list of ventilator authorized for emergency use in health care settings to treat adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated and expanded its list of people at risk of severe COVID-19 illness, the agency said.
A therapeutic, two-antibody COVID-19 treatment “cocktail” from Regeneron and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority moved to its first clinical trial, the developers earlier this month announced.
The American Medical Association announced a new Current Procedural Terminology code (87426) for reporting antigen testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection on medical claims.