COVID-19 Federal Responses: Thursday, July 21, 2022

White House and Federal Agencies

• The Biden Administration willincreasethe reach of the Health and Human Services Department’s pandemic and disaster response division, in order to better confront future health emergencies through greater access to resources.
• The FDAclearedthe Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. distribution following the approval of the drug and after administering a quality manufacturing test.
• The CDC has officiallyendorsedthe usage of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in American adults, after a 12-0 vote from the Advisory Committee and backing from Director Rochelle Walensky.
• The White House has reiterated thenecessityfor Americans to get booster shots.

Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment

• COVID-19 nasal vaccines are still in early development stages, however health officials are optimistic that they could potentiallypreventinfections in the future.
• With new COVID-19 variants and sub-variants, experts arecallingfor an Operation Warp Speed 2.0 to provide more resources toward the acceleration of new booster developments to extend vaccine protections in the future.
• Data from a new studyshows那些被COVID住院的患者19 are at a 45% greater risk of heart failure.
• An Axios-Ipsos surveyfoundthat the majority of Americans across the political spectrum believes that COVID-19 will always be an issue. 78% of Americans surveyed agreed with the statement “We will never fully be rid of the coronavirus in my lifetime.”
• AJAMAstudyrevealedthat hospitals with a high number of COVID patients in 2020 experienced a higher rate of patients who died after undergoing non-COVID related surgery.
• The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants have now become thedominantstrains of COVID-19 and make up the majority of worldwide cases.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates

The CDC published the following reports and website updates:

• Cases in the U.S.
• COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
• Workplace Perceptions and Experiences Related to COVID-19 Response Efforts Among Public Health Workers — Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey, United States, September 2021–January 2022
• Effectiveness of 2, 3, and 4 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Doses Among Immunocompetent Adults During Periods when SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2/BA.2.12.1 Sublineages Predominated — VISION Network, 10 States, December 2021–June 2022
• Why Children and Teens Should Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19
• Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination in Children
• Understanding Protein Subunit COVID-19 Vaccines
• Novavax COVID-19, Adjuvanted Vaccine: Overview and Safety
• COVID-19 Vaccines for People Vaccinated Outside the United States
• COVID-19 Vaccination for Children and Teens with Disabilities
• COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children and Teens
• COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot
• Investigating Long-Term Effects of Myocarditis
• COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People
• COVID-19 Forecasts: Deaths
• Previous COVID-19 Forecasts: Hospitalizations
• Developing Vaccines Quickly
• Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination
• COVID-19 Vaccines and Severe Allergic Reactions
• Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination
• Stay Up to Date with Your Vaccines
• COVID-19 Vaccines for People with Allergies
• COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting Systems
• Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States
• v-safe COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry
• New COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Data Showcase Protection Gained by 3rd and 4th Doses
• Social Media Toolkit: COVID-19 Vaccines for Children/Teens
• COVID-19 Vaccine Monitoring Systems for Pregnant People
• Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
• COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review
• Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens for COVID-19