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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 10, 2020
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Increases in Health-Related Workplace Absenteeism Among Workers in Essential Critical Infrastructure Occupations During the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Pandemic -- United States, March-April 2020"; "Provision of Pediatric Immunization Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: an Assessment of Capacity Among Pediatric Immunization Providers Participating in the Vaccines for Children Program -- United States, May 2020"; "Race/Ethnicity, Underlying Medical Conditions, Homelessness, and Hospitalization Status of Adult Patients with COVID-19 at an Urban Safety-Net Medical Center -- Boston, Massachusetts, 2020"; "Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Contact Sports-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries Among Children -- United States, 2001-2018"; "Trends in Nonfatal Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years -- United States, 2012-2018"; "Initial and Repeated Point Prevalence Surveys to Inform SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection Prevention in 26 Skilled Nursing Facilities -- Detroit, Michigan, March-May 2020"; and "Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities -- United States, April-May 2020."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-07-10
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19 [Updated July 10, 2020]
From the Document: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having widespread economic, social, and political effects on Latin America and the Caribbean, a region with strong congressional interest because of deep U.S. linkages. As of July 10, 2020, the region had almost 3.2 million confirmed cases and over 138,000 deaths, with deaths surging in several countries. Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador have the highest numbers of deaths in the region, and Brazil has the highest number worldwide after the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.; Beittel, June S.; Meyer, Peter J. . . .
2020-07-10
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 7, 2020
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Update: COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities -- United States, April-May 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2020.html]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-07-07
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COVID-19: Resources for Tracking Federal Spending [Updated July 7, 2020]
From the Document: "Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with various legislation providing relief to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care providers, and other entities. This Insight provides selected sources for tracking COVID-19 relief funding provided through these bills."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Kreiser, Maria
2020-07-07
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 3, 2020
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Medical Expenditures Attributed to Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Workers - United States, 2011-2015"; "Salmonellosis Outbreak Detected by Automated Spatiotemporal Analysis - New York City, May-June 2019"; "Use of Molecular Epidemiology to Inform Response to a Hepatitis A Outbreak - Los Angeles County, California, October 2018-April 2019"; "Screening for SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection Within a Psychiatric Hospital and Considerations for Limiting Transmission Within Residential Psychiatric Facilities - Wyoming, 2020"; "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Outbreak Among College Students After a Spring Break Trip to Mexico - Austin, Texas, March 26-April 5, 2020"; "Serial Laboratory Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Incarcerated and Detained Persons in a Correctional and Detention Facility - Louisiana, April-May 2020"; "Characteristics of Adult Outpatients and Inpatients with COVID-19 - 11 Academic Medical Centers, United States, March-May 2020"; "Exposures Before Issuance of Stay-at-Home Orders Among Persons with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 - Colorado, March 2020"; and "'QuickStats': Percentage of Families That Often or Sometimes Did Not Have Enough Food To Last 30 Days and Did Not Have Enough Money to Buy More, by Poverty Status - National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2018." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2020.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-07-03
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Larger Businesses and COVID-19: Financial Relief and Assistance Resources [Updated July 2, 2020]
From the Document: "This CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight presents selected resources and CRS products potentially relevant to medium and large businesses directly affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic seeking economic relief and assistance. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, contains provisions to assist businesses. This Insight focuses on potential sources of assistance designated for medium and large businesses that do not qualify for Small Business Administration programs or other assistance programs for small businesses."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jennings, Julie; Murray, Justin
2020-07-02
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COVID-19: Resources for Tracking Federal Spending [Updated July 1, 2020]
From the Document: "Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with various legislation providing relief to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care providers, and other entities. This CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight provides information on selected sources for tracking COVID-19 relief funding provided through these bills. For general information on resources for tracking federal funds, see CRS Report R44027, 'Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources,' by Jennifer Teefy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Kreiser, Maria
2020-07-01
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Science & Tech Spotlight: Herd Immunity for COVID-19
From the Document: "A population can establish herd immunity to an infectious disease once a large enough portion of the population--typically 70 to 90 percent--develops immunity. [...] For diseases where no vaccination is available, it is possible to develop herd immunity through exposure to, and recovery from, the disease. However, if COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] runs its natural course, this approach would entail the risk of severe disease or death. Given the risk associated with COVID-19 infections, achieving herd immunity without a vaccine could result in significant morbidity and mortality rates."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2020-07
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Did the Paycheck Protection Program Hit the Target?
From the Abstract: "This paper takes an early look at the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a large and novel small business support program that was part of the initial policy response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. We use new data on the distribution of the first round of PPP loans and high-frequency microlevel employment data to consider two dimensions of program targeting. First, we do not find evidence that funds flowed to areas more adversely affected by the economic effects of the pandemic, as measured by declines in hours worked or business shutdowns. If anything, funds flowed to areas less hard hit. Second, we find significant heterogeneity across banks in terms of disbursing PPP funds, which does not only reflect differences in underlying loan demand. The top-4 banks alone account for 36% of total pre-policy small business loans, but disbursed less than 3% of all PPP loans in the first round. Areas that were significantly more exposed to low PPP banks received much lower loan allocations. We do not find evidence that the PPP had a substantial effect on local economic outcomes--including declines in hours worked, business shutdowns, initial unemployment insurance claims, and small business revenues--during the first round of the program. Firms appear to use first round funds to build up savings and meet loan and other commitments, which points to possible medium-run impacts. As data become available, we will continue to study employment and establishment responses to the program and the impact of PPP support on the economic recovery. Measuring these responses is critical for evaluating the social insurance value of the PPP and similar policies."
National Bureau of Economic Research
Granja, João; Makridis, Christos A.; Yannelis, Constantine . . .
2020-07
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Runway to Recovery: The United States Framework for Airlines and Airports to Mitigate the Public Health Risks of Coronavirus
From the Overview: "The U.S. economy is reopening after the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency (PHE) resulted in Federal, State, and local mandated closures and restrictions across many sectors in the first half of 2020. A safe, secure, efficient, and resilient air transportation system that addresses the threat of COVID-19 is critical to reducing the public health risk and supporting the United States' critical infrastructure needs. Government, aviation, and public health leaders must work together to meaningfully reduce the public health risk and restore passenger, aviation workforce, including crew, and public confidence in air travel."
United States. Department of Transportation; United States. Department of Homeland Security; United States. Department of Health and Human Services
2020-07
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COVID-19 and Liability Limitations for the Health Care Sector [July 1, 2020]
From the Document: "The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required health care professionals and facilities to care for a surge of patients with COVID-19 symptoms. This is occurring in a health care environment where the treatment guidelines specific to COVID-19 are still evolving and where some health care facilities are experiencing various resource shortages related to their pandemic response, including shortages in staffing as well as certain protective and treatment equipment. For some health care facilities, these shortages have also caused the delay or cancelation of non-COVID-19 treatments or procedures. Various commentators and policymakers have recognized that these conditions may generate certain liability risks for the health care sector, including risks resulting from unsuccessful COVID-19 treatments, potential COVID-19 transmission, and canceled or delayed non-COVID-19 treatments. These risks have prompted a debate over whether the government should grant certain liability limitations to the health care sector, and if so, what the appropriate scope of those limitations should be. [...] To facilitate Congress's review of this issue, this Sidebar provides an overview of the existing federal and state limitations on liability for the health care sector that are relevant to the current pandemic before identifying several legal considerations for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shen, Wen S.
2020-07-01
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COVID-19: Selected Federal Resources for Businesses Seeking to Assist with Research and Manufacturing Efforts [Updated July 1, 2020]
From the Document: "Some U.S. businesses have been engaging in research or retooling their manufacturing operations, supply chains, or products to assist with fighting the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This CRS [Congressional Research Service] Insight presents selected federal resources potentially relevant to businesses that seek to support COVID-19 mobilization efforts. At the subfederal level, state and local economic development or commerce agencies may be valuable general resources for new and established enterprises. A few local and state governments have created their own COVID-19 grants for businesses to ramp up production of critical supplies, such as personal protective equipment. These kinds of state or local government initiatives may vary widely; in many jurisdictions, they may not exist at all. For other overviews of resources available to businesses, such as those seeking economic relief from adverse COVID-19 impacts, see CRS Insight IN11301, 'Small Businesses and COVID-19: Relief and Assistance Resources,' and CRS Insight IN11368, 'Larger Businesses and COVID-19: Financial Relief and Assistance Resources.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kreiser, Maria
2020-07-01
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Financial Fragility of European Households in the Time of COVID-19
From the Executive Summary: "[1] The concept of household financial fragility emerged in the United States after the 2007-2008 financial crisis. It grew out of the need to understand whether households' lack of capacity to face shocks could itself become a source of financial instability, in addition to risks to the stability of banks and the greater financial system. The concept goes beyond assessing the level of assets and encompasses the state of household balance sheets, including indebtedness. It relies also on individual perceptions of the ability to rely on families and friends and other methods to deal with shocks, though such aspects are less easy to measure and rely frequently on self-assessments. [2] In the wake of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], we ask how well-prepared households were in the European Union (including the United Kingdom) to handle an unexpected expense. Two years before the pandemic hit, a substantial share of EU households reported that they would be unable to handle unexpected expenses. In some EU countries, many households had savings equivalent to just a few weeks of basic consumption."
Bruegel (Organisation)
Demertzis, Maria; Domínguez-Jiménez, Marta; Lusardi, Annamaria
2020-07
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Medical Unit COVID-19 Concept of Operations Plan, Emergency Medical Committee
From the Introduction: "As a response agency, the wildland fire community needs to be ready and prepared to adjust operations to meet the complexities of fighting wildland fires in a COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic environment. While this document provides the Medical Unit Leader (MEDL), Command and General Staff (C&G), and other wildland fire planners broad-based COVID-19 medical guidelines, preparations, and response should be managed to the unique characteristic each fire presents. Due to the potential serious operational impacts COVID-19 could have on the 2020 fire season, the Fire Management Board (FMB) established the Medical and Public Health Advisory Team (MPHAT) to serve as the interagency body responsible for providing consistent review and recommendations for all wildland fire COVID-19 planning material. This document was reviewed by the MPHAT and guides the wildland fire medical posture and COVID19. It is important to note that one solution or guideline may not apply to all situations. It is impossible to establish one set of protocols/procedures that work for every single jurisdiction. However, clear national guidance is required to decrease the risk of serious impacts to fire operations due to COVID-19 infections."
National Wildfire Coordinating Group (U.S.)
2020-06-30?
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 30, 2020
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Characteristics of Adult Outpatients and Inpatients with COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] -- 11 Academic Medical Centers, United States, March-May 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2020.html]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2020-06-30
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Issue Brief: Reports of Increases in Opioid-Related Overdose and Other Concerns During COVID Pandemic
From the Document: "As the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] global pandemic continues, so does the nation's opioid epidemic. The AMA [American Medical Association] is greatly concerned by an increasing number of reports from national, state and local media suggesting increases in opioid-related mortality--particularly from illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs. More than 30 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality as well as ongoing concerns for those with a mental illness or substance use disorder in counties and other areas within the state. This also includes new reports about the need for evidence-based harm reduction services, including sterile needle and syringe services and naloxone."
American Medical Association
2020-06-30
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Reopening the World: Coordinating the International Distribution of Medical Goods
From the Article: "Like other countries around the world, the U.S. is beginning to re-open while coronavirus transmission persists in many communities and before a vaccine has been discovered. This suggests demand for key medical goods--including medicines, coronavirus tests, ventilators, and crucial personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks--will remain high, both as precautionary measures and to respond to localized flare-ups or a possible second wave of the virus. Supply of such goods has and will continue to increase. But even with an aggressive push to increase production, supply is unlikely to be sufficient to meet the 20-fold increase in demand. During the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak, the federal government struggled to get medical goods to the people and places that needed them. It initially left distribution to market mechanisms--sparking price spirals and accusations of gouging by profiteers as state governments and hospital systems bid against one another, desperately seeking supplies. More recently, the government began blocking the export of certain medical goods, cutting off trade flows to countries in need."
Brookings Institution
Gertz, Geoffrey
2020-06-30
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America's Children: Responding to the Crisis Now with the Future in Mind
From the Introduction: "The Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has illuminated the fragility of American life, with the stock market in turmoil, high unemployment rates, supply chain shortages, and excessive hoarding of everyday goods. Even as states reopen, people are still adjusting to a new way of daily life. For many families, stressors that were manageable before the pandemic are now exacerbated. They are worried about becoming ill, and their financial stability and security. Children are at home for extended periods of time, while parents try to manage work demands, provide support for their children, and cope with rapidly changing circumstances. Pre-existing stressors, such as housing and food insecurity, marital discord, and dysfunctional parent-child relationships, are magnified; supportive measures to mitigate the impact of these stressors on mental and physical heath are difficult to access with social distancing measures in place. Covid19 has accentuated many of the challenges that children, families and communities had been confronting, upsetting any balance that existed prior to the pandemic."
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
Moore, Quianta; Greely, Christopher
2020-06-30
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DARPA's Pandemic-Related Programs [June 30, 2020]
From the Document: "The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has contributed to the development of important military and commercial technologies, including stealth and personal electronics. DARPA's role and investments in defense-related research and development (R&D), including biological defense, has potential significance for the science and technology available to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and any future biological threats. Advances in genome sequencing and editing, along with the application of engineering principles and computing and information sciences to the field of biology, have created opportunities to accelerate and expand the development of biotechnology products and processes. Although DARPA has invested in biological research since its establishment in 1958, in 2014 the agency created the Biological Technologies Office, which focuses specifically on the biological sciences and biotechnology."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gallo, Marcy E.
2020-06-30
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Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Guidance for Coronavirus-Related Distributions, Plan Loans, and Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Rollovers [June 30, 2020]
From the Document: "On June 19, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2020-50. Among other guidance, the notice outlines additional factors that qualify an individual for the retirement account distribution and loan relief provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116- 136). On June 23, 2020, IRS released Notice 2020-51, which extends the 60-day rollover period to August 31, 2020, for distributions that otherwise would have been required minimum distributions (RMDs) in 2020--had the CARES Act not suspended them."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Myers, Elizabeth A.
2020-06-30
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COVID-19-Related Suspension of Nonimmigrant Entry [Updated June 29, 2020]
From the Document: "On June 22, President Trump issued a proclamation (amended on June 29) suspending the entry of foreign nationals (aliens) in certain nonimmigrant (temporary) visa categories that allow foreign nationals to work in the United States. Citing the high unemployment rate resulting from public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], the proclamation suspends the entry of foreign nationals--and their accompanying family members--on H-1B, H-2B, J, and L visas, with some exceptions. [...] The proclamation suspending the entry of foreign nationals in certain nonimmigrant visa categories remains in effect from June 24, 2020, through December 31, 2020, with the possibility of continuation thereafter. Beginning 30 days after the effective date, and every 60 days thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and State, may recommend changes to it."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Wilson, Jill, 1974-
2020-06-29
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Billions Wasted; No Excuse for Taxpayer Dollars Going to Deceased People
From the Executive Summary: "On March 13, 2020, the Trump Administration declared a national emergency in response to the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To help combat the pandemic and to address the needs of Americans facing severe health, economic, and security concerns, Congress passed the 'Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.' Provisions of the $2.2 trillion law included stimulus payments to help provide necessary relief for Americans devastated by the economic impacts of COVID-19. However, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Treasury has sent at least $1.4 billion in payments to deceased individuals as of April 30, totaling 1.1 million individual payments. [...] In order to responsibly steward taxpayer dollars, Treasury must answer for its mismanagement of $1.4 billion in payments that went to deceased people, including its failure to implement safeguards and communicate with the public in a timely manner. Congress must also take immediate action to guard against future agency waste and enhance tools for preventing improper payments to deceased people."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
2020-06-29?
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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Situation Report- 161
From the Highlights: "Today we document a somber landmark: 10 million cases and nearly 500000 deaths of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] have now been reported globally. This comes amidst recent record numbers of new cases, with several countries reporting their highest number of new cases in a 24-hour period. As some countries start to reopen their societies and economies, WHO [World Health Organization] strongly encourages individuals, communities, and nations to take measures to reduce transmission, extend testing and contact tracing, and provide optimal care for every case. WHO has published advice for the public and an extensive range of guidance documents, and is working across the globe to support countries in the response to the pandemic. WHO has released a timeline of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic listing some milestones and events since the start of the outbreak 6 months ago."
World Health Organization
2020-06-29
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COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment-- Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress [Updated June 29, 2020]
From the Introduction: "Some observers argue the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic could be a world-changing event with potentially profound and long-lasting implications for the international security environment and the U.S. role in the world. Other observers are more skeptical that the COVID-19 pandemic will have such effects. This report provides a brief overview of some potential implications the COVID-19 pandemic might have for the international security environment and the U.S. role in the world, and a bibliography of CRS [Congressional Research Service] reports and other writings for further reading. Issues for Congress may include whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic could change the international security environment, whether the Trump Administration's actions for responding to such change are appropriate and sufficient, and what implications such change could have for the role of Congress in setting and overseeing the execution of U.S. foreign and defense policy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald; McInnis, Kathleen J.; Moodie, Michael, 1948-
2020-06-29
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Infection Prevention and Control During Health Care When COVID-19 is Suspected [June 29, 2020]
From the Background: "This is the third edition of WHO's [World Health Organization] interim guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies during health care when coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is suspected or confirmed. The first edition was adapted from WHO's interim guidance on 'Infection prevention and control during health care for probable or confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection', and on 'Infection prevention and control of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections in health care'. The rationale for this updated edition has been to expand the scope and structure of earlier guidance, bringing together other interim recommendations as well as considerations and advice from subject matter experts."
World Health Organization
2020-06-29
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HEROS Act, Division K--COVID-19 Housing, Economic Relief, and Oversight Act [June 29, 2020]
From the Document: "Many economic effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic intensified in April and May 2020, including historically high levels of unemployment and related housing affordability issues, consumption and spending reductions, and state and local government financial strains. In an attempt to mitigate a range of issues stemming from COVID-19, the House of Representatives on May 15, 2020, passed the HEROES [Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions] Act (H.R. 6800), by a vote of 208 to 199. This wide-ranging bill, consisting of Divisions A through T, would provide a new round of economic stimulus checks to individuals and tax credits to certain COVID-19-affected businesses and employees; extend certain federal unemployment benefits; grant some student loan forgiveness; provide rental and mortgage assistance; provide certain health care equipment; and offer economic assistance to state and local governments, among other provisions. [...] This report provides an overview of the HEROES Act's Division K--the COVID-19 Housing, Economic Relief, and Oversight Act--which includes provisions for housing assistance, student loan forgiveness, the provision of medical equipment, credit reporting and debt collection, greater funding for Community Development Financial Institutions, and increased oversight of COVID19-related government loans to businesses, among other measures."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Miller, Rena S.; Lowry, Sean; Cecire, Michael H. . . .
2020-06-29
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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Situation Report- 160
From the Highlights: "Today we report a record number of new cases in the last 24 hours globally (189 077 cases), with several countries reporting their highest number of new cases in a 24-hour period. As Dr Tedros remarked in his media briefing on 24 June, '(E)ven as we continue research into vaccines and therapeutics we have an urgent responsibility to do everything we can with the tools we have now to suppress transmission and save lives.' WHO [World Health Organization] has recently updated guidance on critical actions countries can take. Planes carrying more than 4.7 million items of personal protective equipment, procured by WHO/Europe with funding from the European Union, have landed in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine over the last two days.The essential protective equipment will help health-care workers in the three countries respond effectively and safely to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. The phenomenon of an 'infodemic' has escalated to a level that requires a coordinated response. An infodemic is an overabundance of information-some accurate and some not-occurring during an epidemic. WHO is holding its first Infodemiology Conference, with a public conference on 29 June followed by a scientific conference from 30 June through16 July."
World Health Organization
2020-06-28
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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Situation Report - 159
From the Highlights: "The Access to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global initiative between multiple partners to ensure equitable access to life-saving tools for COVID-19. WHO has published the ACT-Accelerator Investment Case, which provides an overview of the ACT-Accelerator, its goals, and the investments that are required to carry out its mission. WHO [World Health Organization] Director-General Dr Tedros emphasized that 'vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics are vital tools - but to be truly effective they must be administered with another essential ingredient, which is solidarity'. WHO has published interim guidance on rapid hospital readiness and an accompanying checklist tool, which can be used to monitor the development of operational readiness capacity in hospitals and identify gaps that require investment and action. The checklist covers hospital governance, structures, plans and protocols to rapidly determine the current capacities of hospitals to respond to COVID-19. WHO has published interim guidance on biomedical equipment for COVID-19 case management and an accompanying inventory tool, which countries can use to collect in-depth facility inventories of biomedical equipment re-allocation, procurement and planning for COVID-19 case management. The tool is intended for use from the early stages of an emergency to early recovery."
World Health Organization
2020-06-27
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Constitutional Authority to Regulate the Privacy of State-Collected Contact-Tracing Data [June 26, 2020]
Form the Document: "Amid the ongoing COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, several states have developed and promoted contact-tracing mobile device apps to identify individuals who may have had contact with infected persons. Additionally, the two largest manufacturers of mobile device operating systems, Apple (iOS) and Google (Android), have announced plans to release application programming interfaces (APIs) to 'enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities.' Several bills in the 116th Congress would regulate the privacy of information collected through such contact-tracing apps."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Liu, Edward C.
2020-06-26
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Global Democracy and Human Rights Impacts of COVID-19: In Brief [June 26, 2020]
From the Introduction: "As governments worldwide administer lockdowns, travel limitations, and other restrictions to respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some experts have warned of a 'parallel epidemic' of government repression. Proponents of this view maintain that some governments are using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to consolidate political power undemocratically or impose undue restrictions on the exercise of civil and political rights. Meanwhile, even when restrictions may be justified on the basis of public health, the manner of application and enforcement of these measures may raise human rights concerns in some cases. Some Members of Congress have expressed alarm over the implications of COVID-19 for democracy and human rights trends, as evidenced by statements and legislation introduced to date. At the same time, COVID-19's ramifications in this area are diverse and evolving. This In Brief report discusses key democracy and human rights concerns raised by experts and advocates, includes brief country case studies, and discusses potential congressional policy responses. Although some issues discussed herein may be relevant to domestic debates in the United States, this report focuses on democracy and human rights issues internationally and in relation to U.S. foreign policy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Weber, Michael A.; Blackwood, Maria A.; Husted, Tomas F. . . .
2020-06-26
