- The American Medical Association (AMA), in coordination with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),announced new CPT codesfor COVID-19 immunization.
- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced newpartnerships with large chain pharmaciesand networks that represent independent pharmacies and regional chains to provide COVID-19 vaccines. This program covers approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Both Pfizer and Moderna are expected to submit data to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for their respective vaccine candidates in the next few weeks. States arebeginning to prepareto distribute vaccines almost immediately upon the FDA issuing an EUA. Johnson & Johnson (J&J)starteda new trial for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. J&J is already conducting a single-dose trial.
- A newstudysuggests that rapid COVID-19 tests are less accurate than previously thought.
Congress
On November 17, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee holds ahearingon how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted American manufacturing.
On November 19, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold ahearingon the importance of early outpatient treatment to prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms.
White House and Federal Agencies
The American Medical Association (AMA), in coordination with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),announced new CPT codesfor COVID-19 immunization.
- All of the new vaccine-specific CPT codes will be available for use and effective as each new coronavirus vaccine receives Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- In addition to the long descriptors, short and medium descriptors for the new vaccine-specific CPT codes can be accessed on theAMA website.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced newpartnerships with large chain pharmaciesand networks that represent independent pharmacies and regional chains to provide COVID-19 vaccines. This program covers approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci isurgingAmericans to “double down” on COVID-19 safety measures during this new surge in cases.
The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has releasedguidance and best practices for setting up alternate care sites. Alternate care sites (ACS) can help to alleviate health system stress caused by COVID-19 patient surge events. The following resources and documents are intended to support state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) governments in the establishment and operation of ACS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
This holiday season, consider how yourholiday planscan be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, families, and communities healthy and safe. CDC includes information oncelebrating Thanksgivingin a safer manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins also released a blog post with some ideas on how to find other ways besides family gatherings to make the holidays meaningful inPlanning Your Holidays During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
According to the CDC, emergency mental health-related visits for children aged 5–11 and 12–17 years have been 24% and 31% higher this year, respectively, compared to April through October of 2019. This suggests COVID-19 is having a mental health impact on children.
In a CDC Scientific Brief examining社区使用布口罩, the authors found that experimental and epidemiological data support community masking to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The preventive benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer.
The FDA hosted a virtualFDA Grand Rounds: Facial Coverings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: How well do they flatten the curve?本课程提供了一个overview of the FDA’s research to evaluate the ability of facial coverings to reduce the spread of infection and how the FDA is developing a comprehensive risk-assessment tool to predict the probability of infection with individuals wearing a non-surgical face mask or cloth face covering; given the characteristics of non-surgical face masks, the population, and the pathogen. This presentation discusses how the filtration and leakage performance of cloth face coverings, using both experimental and computational methods, input into a risk assessment model the FDA recently developed and is currently calibrating for COVID-19.
CDC has implemented multi-year studies to learn more about the short- andlong-term health effectsassociated with COVID-19. CDC continues to work to identify how common these symptoms are, who is most likely to get them, and whether these symptoms eventually resolve.
CDC updated information on thelate sequelae of COVID-19. In peer-reviewed literature and public discussion, persistent symptoms are being reported among COVID-19 survivors, including individuals who initially experience a mild acute illness. These persistent symptoms pose new challenges to patients, healthcare providers, and public health practitioners. CDC also updated a list of thecommon long-term effects of COVID-19.
Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment
Modernareportedincredibly strong preliminary data on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate that shows it is 94.5 percent effective in preventing illness. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Faucispoke very highlyof these preliminary results.
- Both Pfizer and Moderna are expected to submit data to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for their respective vaccine candidates in the next few weeks. States arebeginning to prepareto distribute vaccines almost immediately upon the FDA issuing an EUA.
ThisOp Ed(opposite the editorial page) authored by Dr. Mary I. O’Connor highlights how we can learn from the flu vaccine to improve trust in the COVID-19 vaccine among minority communities.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J)starteda new trial for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. J&J is already conducting a single-dose trial.
A newstudysuggests that rapid COVID-19 tests are less accurate than previously thought.
COVID-19treatments for people with early infection are needed urgently, according to a JAMA Viewpoint article by NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and colleagues. Treating people early in the course of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, would speed their recovery, reduce the likelihood they develop severe outcomes and reduce demand on the healthcare system, they write.
COVID-19 test resultscould be delayedas labs across the country are reaching capacity to deal with the new surge in cases.
Newresearchprovides greater insight into why some patients develop more severe COVID-19 symptoms than others.
A newmeta-analysisof 50 studies of patients in the U.S. and the U.K. shows how Blacks and Asians have increased COVID-19 infection risk.
