- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated many of its resources.
- Some of those updates includeFAQs about the COVID-19 vaccination, includingbenefits of COVID-19 vaccinationand information tobust myths and misconceptionsAlthough CDC does not have a role in developing COVID-19 vaccines, CDC has been working closely with health departments and partners to develop vaccination plans for when a vaccine is available. CDC is working with partners at all levels, including healthcare associations, on flexible COVID-19 vaccination programs that can accommodate different vaccines and scenarios.
- Pfizer willdistributeits COVID-19 vaccine (if/when it is approved by the FDA) using its own distribution network instead of the government’s vaccine distribution contractor.
Congress and 2020 Election Results
今天下午,我们不知道最后的results of the 2020 election. However, we know enough that we can safely expect that the House of Representatives will remain controlled by Democrats.
Control of the Senate is not clear yet. Two Senate races in Georgia are expected to go to a runoff election on January 5. Republicans need to win at least one of the two seats to maintain control of the Senate. If they lose both, each party will control 50 seats. The Vice President would serve as a tie-breaking vote.
- At this point, former Vice President Joe Biden (D) isexpectedto win the presidential election. His running mate, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) would be that tie-breaking vote.
- Heading into the election, bipartisan negotiations on a new COVID-19 relief bill failed to make significant progress while each party waited to see if the election results would deal them a better hand in 2021. The election results show that neither party will significantly improve their leverage which means neither party has an incentive to wait until 2021. Congressional leaders are beginning toreiteratetheir desire to pass a new relief bill before the end of the year.
White House and Federal Agencies
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins released ablog poston a new study, published inNature Medicine, where models predict that if 95 percent of people in the U.S. began wearing masks in public right now, the death toll would drop by March from the projected 510,000 to about 380,000.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
CDC has updated:
- Its list ofpotential treatmentsfor severe cases of COVID-19.
- Information on the current clinical management of COVID-19 which includesinfection prevention and control measuresand supportive care, including supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilator support when indicated.
- Information on the use ofmasksto help slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Interim guidelines forcollecting, handling, and testing clinical specimensfrom persons for COVID-19 and clarification on language for the collection of anterior nasal specimens.
- Information on what you need to know about the COVID-19 pandemic and how you canprotect yourself and your familyand how you canprotect yourself and othersfrom spreading COVID-19.
- Information on the impact ofCOVID-19 during pregnancyto protect women and their babies. Based on what the CDC knows at this time, pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 might be at increased risk for other adverse outcomes, such as preterm birth.
- Information onText Illness Monitoring (TIM), a text messaging platform that helps monitor symptoms during an infectious disease outbreak. TIM is available at no cost and, at this time, is primarily intended for public health organizations at the federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial levels to assist with COVID-19 response activities.
- Information onthings to know about the COVID-19 pandemic. The more steps you and your family can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the safer you will be.
- Communication resourceson COVID-19 on many different topics.
- Guidance forindividuals and familiesas they work with funeral directors, community and religious leaders, and others to plan and hold funeral services and visitations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economy, Vaccine, Testing and Treatment
The U.S. has reached over100,000 daily casesfor the first time.
CDC released a summary of thebenefits of COVID-19 vaccinationbased on what the CDC currently knows. CDC will continue to update this page as more data become available.
CDC released information tobust myths and misconceptionsabout COVID-19 vaccination.
CDC updatedFAQs about the COVID-19 vaccination. Although CDC does not have a role in developing COVID-19 vaccines, CDC has been working closely with health departments and partners to develop vaccination plans for when a vaccine is available. CDC is working with partners at all levels, including healthcare associations, on flexible COVID-19 vaccination programs that can accommodate different vaccines and scenarios.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting clinical laboratory staff and health care providers thatfalse positive results can occur with antigen tests, including when users do not follow the instructions for use of antigen tests for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Pfizer willdistributeits COVID-19 vaccine (if/when it is approved by the FDA) using its own distribution network instead of the government’s vaccine distribution contractor.
