Advanced search Help
Resource Type or Special Collection is Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
COVID-19--Oversight of the Emergency Food Assistance Program--Interim Report [October 2021]
From the Objective: "Our ongoing inspection has four objectives. This report addresses Objective 1: What criteria did FNS [Food and Nutrition Service] use to approve States for food and administrative funds provided under the FFCR [Families First Coronavirus Response] and CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Acts. The Objective 1 includes the following sub objectives: (a) How much did FNS allocate to each State for food assistance and administrative funds under each act?; (b) Did FNS deny any State request for food assistance and/ or administrative funds provided under each act?; (c) Did FNS use different criteria to approve States for food assistance and administrative funds under each act?; and (d) What impact, if any, could changes to the criteria have on the integrity of the program? [...] We evaluated the process FNS used to approve States for food and administrative funds provided under the FFCR and CARES Acts. [...] We made no recommendations in this report."
United States. Department of Agriculture. Office of the Inspector General
2021-10
-
COVID-19 Working Paper: Filling the Pandemic Meal Gap: Disruptions to Child Nutrition Programs and Expansion of Free Meal Sites in the Early Months of the Pandemic
From the Abstract: "The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic struck the United States abruptly and unexpectedly, forcing the closure of schools and childcare providers nationwide beginning in March 2020. These closures disrupted the provision of meals to children through the largest of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) child nutrition programs. In response, USDA issued a series of waivers, as allowed by law, to facilitate the continued provision of meals to children while prioritizing the health and safety of communities. This working paper assesses the extent to which the existing child nutrition infrastructure was able to rapidly adapt to meet the needs of children in the immediate aftermath of the unforeseen crises. It documents disruptions in the provision of meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) from March through May 2020, and it examines the extent to which waivers allowing greater flexibility in their implementation and the expansion of free meal sites helped to compensate for these disruptions."
United States. Department of Agriculture. Economic Research Service
Toossi, Saied
2021-10
-
Household Experiences in America During the Delta Variant Outbreak
From the Executive Summary: "This report examines the most serious problems facing U.S. households during the delta variant outbreak, with an aim to identify vulnerable populations in urgent need of government help or charitable aid. NPR [National Public Radio], The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a survey August 2 - September 7, 2021, to examine the most serious problems facing households across America in the past few months when it comes to their finances, healthcare, racial/ethnic discrimination, education, caregiving, work, and well-being. Despite billions of dollars appropriated by federal and state governments during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] outbreak to protect vulnerable Americans, as well as recent reports that the poverty rate has declined, results from this survey show that a substantial share of households across the U.S. have not been adequately protected from financial problems. Many report serious impacts across different areas of their lives in the past few months alone. Of note, this poll measured experiences just before federal pandemic unemployment benefits ended and at the time housing eviction protections expired, so estimates do not include the potential impact of these events. These findings raise important concerns about the limited financial resources of many U.S. households to weather the economic effects of the delta variant outbreak, as a significant share have lost their household savings during the COVID-19 outbreak and are facing major problems paying for basic costs of living, including rent, utilities, and medical care."
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; National Public Radio (U.S.)
2021-10
-
Preparedness Grant Effectiveness Case Study: Georgia
From the Overvuew: "In May 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a preparedness grants effectiveness virtual case study with the State of Georgia. The purpose of this case study was to understand the role of FEMA preparedness grants in Georgia's coronavirus (COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]) vaccine rollout. This case study used data gathered from one interview with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS). It also drew from information that Georgia emergency management personnel provided through the Biannual Strategy Implementation Report (BSIR) and the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)/Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR). This case study found that preparedness grants funds created strong working relationships among GEMA/HS and vendors, which helped GEMA/HS acquire supplies and equipment critical to establish vaccination sites. In addition, GEMA/HS invested preparedness grant funding in personnel to manage the vaccination sites, in supporting public information officers, and to purchase vehicles that allowed field staff to access the various mass vaccination sites more readily. Together, these investments enabled Georgia to effectively manage the COVID-19 vaccination process."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2021-10
-
Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2021 Supply Chains of Critical Goods Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic Disruptions, Recovery, and Resilience
From the Foreword: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic dramatically reduced international trade last year and significantly disrupted global value chains, complicating progress in Asia and the Pacific toward sustainable development. While trade in goods has since recovered strongly, supply chains need to be made more resilient, particularly to ensure the supply of critical goods. The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2021 shows that despite COVID-19, economies in the region have managed to cut red tape to keep trade flowing, as evidenced by the results of the 2021 Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation. Also evident is that digitalization of trade procedures has accelerated, although much more remains to be done. Cross-border trade digitalization has great potential to help countries in Asia and the Pacific access critical goods, especially those most vulnerable to trade uncertainty and crisis. The report indicates that further acceleration of digital trade facilitation implementation could cut average trade costs in the region by more than 13 per cent. It suggests that the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific--a United Nations treaty that entered into force in early 2021--provides a dedicated, inclusive, and capacity-building-focused intergovernmental platform to pursue this agenda. The report also highlights the need for more holistic and inclusive trade facilitation strategies in the region to ensure that groups and sectors with special needs benefit from the trade recovery. Measures are specifically needed to support small and medium-sized enterprises, women, and the agricultural sector to make the recovery more sustainable."
Asian Development Bank; United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Chorthip Utoktham; Fu, Jiangyuan; Kim, Soo Hyun
2021-10
-
Preventing the Next Pandemic: The Case for Investing in Circulatory Health
From the Introduction: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a continuous and robust impact on world health. The resulting COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating physical, mental and fiscal impact on the millions of people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), as they have a higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. COVID-19 has been associated with an excess in all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality beyond that related to the infection itself and its immediate consequences. [...] COVID-19 impacts health beyond complications of infectious diseases and the current and future impact upon circulatory health must be faced directly. It is of extreme importance to identify and adequately manage those at greater risk to mitigate the already elevated burden of circulatory disease, with the greatest impact felt in low- and middle-income world regions. As the chief representatives of the global circulatory health community and patients, the Global Coalition for Circulatory Health has a unique responsibility to draw policymakers' attention to the tsunami of post-pandemic consequences lying in wait."
Global Coalition for Circulatory Health (Global Coalition, GCCH)
Stewart, David; Ferat, Leslie Rae; Forrest, Ryan . . .
2021-10?
-
Real-World Assessments of COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy
From the Document: "Over the past year, the global vaccination campaign to end the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has progressed from tests of vaccine efficacy to over six billion (and counting) administered doses. Highly structured clinical trials facilitated strong statistical examinations of the vaccines because randomization accounts for unobserved confounders that could bias the analysis. Post-approval assessments have limitations because they rely on data from less structured, real-world settings. Several post-approval studies show the existing mRNA [messenger ribonucleic acid] vaccines launched initially in the US effectively prevent, as predicted, the worst outcomes of COVID-19, while the vaccines many other countries use are less effective but still invaluable in fighting the pandemic. An observed erosion in vaccine efficacy this year, relative to the clinical trials of 2020, may be a function of the new variants of the virus, waning acquired immunity against infection over time, or other factors, such as the higher incidence of prior infections in the unvaccinated population and the tendency for random error (such as false-positive COVID-19 tests) to attenuate measured efficacy rates. Taken together, the studies make it plain that vaccinating the unvaccinated with any of the globally approved vaccines remains the most important step for lessening the pandemic's severity."
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Capretta, James C.; Ganz, Scott C.; Allsop, Kieran
2021-10
-
Cheating with COVID Cards: Sellers Offering CDC Vaccine Cards and the Platforms Making it Possible
From the Executive Summary: "This summer, numerous media headlines focused on online sellers illegally pushing COVID [coronavirus disease] vaccine cards for sale on social media platforms, particularly Telegram. The cards stamped with Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention] (CDC) logos that sell for between $100 and $200 have been hot commodities for months. So why are illegal vaccine cards still so readily available on social media platforms? Researchers from Digital Citizens Alliance (Digital Citizens) and Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW) have theories about why the number of vaccine cards available seems to be growing instead of shrinking. However, the two organizations are even more concerned about another development that should make headlines as well. Vaccine card sellers have moved from the backrooms of Telegram and into the mainstream via Facebook and Instagram. Digital Citizens and CSW researchers contacted sellers on Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram and found many of the same patterns and tactics from each[.]"
Digital Citizens Alliance; Coalition for a Safer Web
2021-10
-
Durability of Immunity Against Reinfection by SARS-CoV-2: A Comparative Evolutionary Study
From the Introduction: "The ongoing COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has resulted in over 4∙5 million deaths worldwide. Approaches to control COVID-19 depend on the durability of immunity conferred by recovery and by vaccination. However, predicting the durability of immunity against the virus causing COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2], remains challenging amid a pandemic. During the rapid expansion of the pandemic, there have been few documented reinfections relative to the overall incidence. Short-term longitudinal studies of the levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies at best provide lower bounds for the durability of immunity. By contrast, the long-term waning of antibody levels following infection has been assessed among close coronavirus relatives of SARS-CoV-2, including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV [Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus], human coronavirus (HCoV)-OC43, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-NL63. Extensive reinfection data over time have been collected for seasonal endemic coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-NL63). The zoonotic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to have evolved an especially divergent interaction with the mammalian immune system compared with its close coronavirus relatives. Therefore, the waning of humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the observed rates of antibody decline after infection, and the probability of reinfection given antibody levels for multiple close relatives of SARS-CoV-2 can be estimated from a phylogenetic analysis of the ancestral and descendent states that fills in critical gaps in our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2."
Elsevier; Lancet
Townsend, Jeffrey; Hassler, Hayley B.; Wang, Zhengxu, 1973- . . .
2021-10-01
-
States Respond to COVID-19 Challenges but Also Take Advantage of New Opportunities to Address Long-Standing Issues: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022
From the Executive Summary: "The coronavirus pandemic has generated both a public health crisis and an economic crisis, with major implications for Medicaid--a countercyclical program--and its beneficiaries. The pandemic has profoundly affected Medicaid program spending, enrollment, [hyperlink] and policy, challenging state Medicaid agencies, providers, and enrollees in a variety of ways. As states continue to respond to pandemic challenges, they are also pushing forward non-emergency initiatives as well as preparing for the unwinding of the public health emergency (PHE) and the return to a new normal of operations. [...] This report highlights certain policies in place in state Medicaid programs in state fiscal year (FY) 2021 and policy changes implemented or planned for FY 2022, which began on July 1, 2021 for most states; we also highlight state experiences with policies adopted in response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. The findings are drawn from the 21st annual budget survey of Medicaid officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and Health Management Associates (HMA), in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD). States completed this survey in mid-summer of 2021, following increased vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 cases but just prior to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. Overall, 47 states responded to this year's survey, although response rates for specific questions varied. This report summarizes key findings across five sections: delivery systems, benefits and telehealth, social determinants of health (which also includes information on health equity and COVID-19 vaccine uptake), provider rates and taxes, and pharmacy."
National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD); Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
Gifford, Kathleen; Lashbrook, Aimee; Barth, Sarah . . .
2021-10
-
Assessing SARS-CoV-2 Circulation, Variants of Concern, Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions and Vaccine Rollout in the EU/EEA, 16th Update
From the Summary: "Since its emergence in March 2021, the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of concern (VOC) has rapidly become predominant across the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA). More than 99% of newly reported cases are attributed to this variant. The Delta variant has demonstrated a significant transmission advantage relative to previously circulating SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] strains. However, full vaccination remains protective against severe outcomes such as hospitalisation, admission to intensive care and death. Currently available vaccines have played a crucial role in limiting viral circulation and in particular, limiting the impact of infections by the Delta variant. Despite the fact that over 565 million vaccine doses have been administered in the EU/EEA so far, only 61.1% (range: 18.4-79.4%) of the total population in the EU/EEA have been fully vaccinated to date. The total population includes children and adolescents for whom the vaccine is not available or who may not be included in national target groups yet. There is considerable inter-country and sub-national variation in vaccine uptake, resulting in large proportions of the EU/EEA population remaining susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Modelling scenarios that consider vaccination coverage, vaccine effectiveness, natural immunity and population contact rates--in the context of continued Delta circulation--indicate that the potential burden of disease risk in the EU/EEA from the Delta variant is high between now to the end of November, unless vaccination coverage can be increased rapidly in the total population in the next few weeks."
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
2021-09-30
-
Bargaining Over Workplace Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This document from UNISON, the United Kingdom's (UK) largest public service trade union, provides workplace guidance relating to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK. Topics include: working from home, absence due to illness or care-taking responsibilities, mental health issues, hygiene, etc. The document is updated on a regular basis.
UNISON (Organization)
2021-09-30
-
FLETC's Actions to Respond to and Manage COVID-19 at Its Glynco Training Center
From the Highlights: "After temporarily closing in March 2020 due to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], FLETC [Federal Law Enforcement Training Center] reopened its facilities in June 2020 with 'reengineered training programs' designed to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19. We conducted a review to determine actions the Glynco training center has taken to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among staff and students."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2021-09-30
-
COVID-19 Vaccination: Selected U.S. Data Sources [Updated September 30, 2021]
From the Document: "In the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccine program, doses are first 'allocated' and made available to states and other jurisdictions for ordering. Once ordered, doses are 'delivered' (distributed) to appropriate state and jurisdictional sites. States then allocate and deliver doses to health departments, health care systems, pharmacies, and multi-county entities, which can further re-allocate to local clinical sites. Providers then 'administer' doses to patients and report administration data to jurisdictions and CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. (See CDC's How COVID-19 Vaccines Get to You [hyperlink] and About COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered and Administration Data [hyperlink].) Federal health care programs (e.g., Veterans Health Administration) manage vaccine data through a similar process. Comirnaty (the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) is approved [hyperlink] as a two-dose vaccine for ages 16+. Comirnaty is also authorized [hyperlink] for uses that fall outside the scope of its approval--that is, as a two-dose regimen in individuals aged 12-15, as a third dose for certain immunocompromised individuals aged 12+, and as a single booster dose to be given at least six months after the primary series in certain individuals aged 18+. For more information, see CRS Report R46913, 'FDA Approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID19 Vaccine: Frequently Asked Questions.' Vaccines manufactured by Moderna (a two-dose vaccine) and J&J/Janssen [Johnson & Johnson/Janssen] (a single-dose vaccine) are currently authorized [hyperlink] for emergency use for ages 18+. The Moderna [hyperlink] vaccine is also authorized to be given as a third dose to certain immunocompromised individuals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cornell, Ada S.; Napili, Angela
2021-09-30
-
COVID-19 Vaccine Decision-Making Factors in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities in Los Angeles, California
From the Abstract: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has had disproportionate effects on racial and ethnic minority communities, where preexisting clinical and social conditions amplify health and social disparities. Many of these communities report lower vaccine confidence and lower receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine. Understanding factors that influence the multifaceted decision-making process for vaccine uptake is critical for narrowing COVID-19-related disparities. [...] This qualitative study used community-engaged methods to conduct virtual focus groups from November 16, 2020, to January 28, 2021, with Los Angeles County residents. Potential participants were recruited through email, video, and telephone outreach to community partner networks. Focus groups were stratified by self-identified race and ethnicity as well as age. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis."
JAMA Network
Carson, Savanna L.; Casilla, Alejandra; Castellon-Lopez, Yelba . . .
2021-09-30
-
Assessment of Communication Strategies for Mitigating COVID-19 Vaccine-Specific Hesitancy in Canada
From the Introduction: "Mass vaccination campaigns are rapidly proceeding globally. These campaigns make use of vaccines with different characteristics, such as their country of origin, number of required doses, underlying technology (eg, mRNA [Messenger ribonucleic acid]), and their levels of efficacy and safety. Containing the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic will require vaccinating at least 70% of US individuals and billions more globally. It will also likely require follow-up or booster vaccinations. Understanding the sources of hesitancy and identifying correctives is, thus, vitally important for global public health. Important research identifies sources of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Resistance appears to be higher among people with low trust in expertise and, in the US, among Republican party identifiers. Vaccine hesitancy is also higher among racial and ethnic minority groups, women, those with more skepticism about childhood vaccines, and those skeptical of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work aligns with findings on which groups of citizens are more likely to comply with public health directives on mask usage and social distancing and broader findings on vaccine hesitancy outside of the COVID-19 context. [...] . In this study, we examine whether providing information on the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines at preventing death from COVID-19 increases people's confidence in their effectiveness and reduces their hesitancy toward these vaccines. We also explore whether this information can mitigate possible negative consequences that arise from providing information on the comparatively less-impressive record of these vaccines at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection."
JAMA Network
Merkley, Eric; Loewen, Peter John, 1979-
2021-09-30
-
COVID-19: The Pandemic Highlighted the Need to Strengthen Wage and Hour Division's Enforcement Controls
From the Document: "In January 2020, the Secretary for Health and Human Services declared a nationwide public health emergency in response to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. Since then, millions of Americans contracted COVID-19 and many public schools and child care facilities closed temporarily, leaving parents without child care to work. In response, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to ensure American workers would not be forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus. Wage and Hour Division (WHD) was responsible for implementing and enforcing the new law, while also making critical operational decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the OIG [Office of the Inspector General]'s Pandemic Oversight Response Plan, this report presents the results of our audit of the WHD's enforcement of the paid leave provisions of the FFCRA."
United States. Department of Labor. Office of the Inspector General
2021-09-30
-
FDA Approval of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 Vaccine: Frequently Asked Questions [Updated September 29, 2021]
From the Document: "In August 23, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech for individuals 16 years of age or older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the first COVID-19 vaccine--and the first vaccine based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology-- to be licensed by FDA. Pfizer and BioNTech will market their licensed COVID-19 vaccine under the brand name Comirnaty (pronounced koe-MIR-na-tee). [...] FDA's approval of Comirnaty has caused some confusion about the scope of FDA's approval, the relationship between Comirnaty and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and other issues. This report addresses some common questions about FDA's approval of Comirnaty."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hickey, Kevin J.; Bodie, Agata; Ward, Erin H.
2021-09-29
-
Argentina: An Overview [Updated September 29, 2021]
"Situated on the Atlantic coast of South America's Southern Cone, Argentina has a vibrant democratic tradition and has Latin America's third-largest economy. U.S.-Argentine relations have been strong in recent years. [...] Upon taking office, President Fernández faced an economy in recession, high poverty, and unsustainable public debt. He pledged to restructure Argentina's debt and opened talks with bondholders and other creditors. He also rolled out several measures, including a food program and price controls on basic goods, aimed at helping low-income Argentines cope with inflation and increased poverty. [...] Argentina has been hard hit by the pandemic. COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] cases and deaths surged in May and June 2021 but have since declined. As of September 29, 2021, the country reported over 115,000 deaths, with a mortality rate of 255 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University. Although the procurement and rollout of vaccines was initially slow compared with some other countries, as of September 29, 48.1% of Argentina's population was fully vaccinated. [...] In July 2021, the United States donated 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna) to Argentina. In addition, according to the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, the United States has donated more than $4 million in COVID-19 relief supplies, including three relief hospitals and other supplies provided by the U.S. Southern Command."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2021-09-29
-
Issues Raised by a Federal Government Shutdown: Grants to State and Local Governments and the Covid-19 Pandemic [Updated September 29, 2021]
From the Document: "Midnight September 30, 2021, will be the end of FY2021. In the absence of new funding legislation for FY2022, funding for federal agencies and activities funded through all 12 of the regular annual appropriations acts will lapse. The resulting lapse in appropriations will require a shutdown of most federal agency operations [hyperlink], including those necessary to administer federal aid to state and local governments. [...] Since March 2020, COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic response legislation has provided additional funding for federal grant programs to state and local governments. According to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, $582.3 billion [hyperlink] has been provided to state, local, and tribal governments for pandemic response, not including additional grant funding provided under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 [hyperlink] (American Rescue Plan, P.L. 117-2, enacted March 11, 2021). The American Rescue Plan provided an additional $360 billion [hyperlink], of which $219.8 billion was appropriated for the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund [hyperlink], $130.2 billion for the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund [hyperlink], and $10 billion for the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund [hyperlink]. A federal government shutdown may cause disruption to, or cessation of, grant administration activities for normal grant program appropriations, as well as pandemic-related supplemental funding, depending on the following factors: [1] the timing and duration of a federal government shutdown; and [2] the choices made by federal, state, and local officials in anticipation of, or during, a shutdown regarding grant program administration."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Keegan, Natalie
2021-09-29
-
COVID-19: Reviewing Existing Policies Could Help Selected Agencies Better Prepare for Dedicated User Fee Revenue Fluctuations, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Each year, federal agencies collect billions of dollars in dedicated user fee revenue from fees charged to users of federal goods and services, which are dedicated by law for a specific purpose or program. The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic disrupted critical government operations for agencies that rely on these revenues. The CARES Act [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review the effects of the pandemic on public institutions of the U.S. This report examines how dedicated user fee revenues have changed since the onset of the pandemic and how selected agencies managed revenue changes related to the pandemic, among other objectives. To determine revenue changes, GAO compared dedicated user fee revenues in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to amounts from prior years. GAO selected three agencies to review-- FAA [Federal Aviation Administration], NPS [National Park Service], and USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services]--based on whether they relied on dedicated user fee revenue to a high (FAA and USCIS) or low (NPS) extent, among other factors. GAO interviewed officials at the selected agencies and reviewed relevant documents to determine how these agencies managed revenue changes, and compared those actions to internal control standards and leading practices for fee design."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09-29
-
Military's COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate [September 28, 2021]
From the Document: "Since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Members of Congress have expressed interest in Force Health Protection [hyperlink] (FHP) measures the Department of Defense (DOD) might implement to protect servicemembers and mitigate pandemic-related threats to military operations. DOD has implemented a variety of conditions-based FHP measures [hyperlink] that mirror the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended protective measures [hyperlink], to limit the spread of COVID-19 among military personnel. On August 9, 2021, the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) issued a Message to the Force [hyperlink] indicating his intent to require COVID-19 vaccination for servicemembers 'no later than mid-September, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure [of a COVID-19 vaccine], whichever comes first.[...] This Insight summarizes the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for servicemembers and offers considerations for Congress as the MILDEPs [Military Departments] implement the mandate."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mendez, Bryce H. P.
2021-09-28
-
Pandemic Privacy: A Preliminary Analysis of Collection Technologies, Data Collection Laws, and Legislative Reform During COVID-19
From the Executive Summary: "In, 'Pandemic Privacy: A preliminary analysis of collection technologies, data collection laws, and legislative reform during COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019],' we undertake a preliminary comparative analysis of how different information technologies were mobilized in response to COVID-19 to collect data, the extent to which Canadian health or privacy or emergencies laws impeded the response to COVID-19, and ultimately, the potential consequences of reforming data protection or privacy laws to enable more expansive data collection, use, or disclosure of personal information in future health emergencies. [...] After a short introduction in Section one, we present the methodologies we used in Section two. Section three turns to how contemporary digital technologies were used to collect data in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Our principal finding is that collection efforts were constrained by the ways in which private companies chose to enable data collection, particularly in the case of contact tracing and exposure notifications, and by how these companies choose to share data that was under their control and how data was repurposed for assisting in containing COVID-19. The breadth and extent of data collection was unprecedented when compared to past health crises."
University of Toronto. Citizen Lab; Munk School of Global Affairs
Parsons, Christopher; Ballard, Benjamin; Cutinha, Amanda
2021-09-28
-
MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 28, 2021: Safety Monitoring of an Additional Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine -- United States, August 12-September 19, 2021
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 Early Release issue of MMWR contains the following article: "Safety Monitoring of an Additional Dose of COVID-19 [Coronavirus Disease 2019] Vaccine -- United States, August 12-September 19, 2021." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from WWMR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-09-28
-
COVID-19: Additional Risk Assessment Actions Could Improve HUD Oversight of CARES Act Funds, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic and resulting economic downturn created housing instability for many families and individuals. Congress appropriated about $12.4 billion to HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development] in CARES Act [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to housing needs related to COVID-19. GAO [Government Accountability Office] has previously reported on HUD's persistent management challenges and noted the potential for these challenges to affect the implementation and oversight of HUD's COVID-19 response. The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to monitor the federal government's efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines HUD's actions to oversee its CARES Act funding and manage risks, and HUD's implementation and monitoring of the CARES Act funds of selected community development, homelessness, and rental assistance programs. GAO reviewed HUD documentation and analyzed HUD spending data, focusing on the four programs that received the most CARES Act funding. GAO also interviewed HUD officials and associations representing HUD funding recipients."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09-28
-
COVID-19: Selected Agencies Overcame Technology Challenges to Support Telework but Need to Fully Assess Security Controls, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "In response to the onset of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, in March 2020 the Office of Management and Budget directed federal agencies to maximize their use of telework to enable the workforce to remain safe while ensuring that government operations continue. Telework is essential to continuity of operations but also brings added cybersecurity risks. The 'CARES Act' [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] contains a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to monitor the federal response to the pandemic. GAO was also asked to examine federal agencies' preparedness to support expanded telework. GAO's objectives were to determine (1) selected agencies' initial experiences in providing the IT [information technology] needed to support remote access for maximum telework and (2) the extent to which selected agencies followed federal information security guidance for their IT systems that provide remote access. GAO selected 12 agencies for review that varied in their percentages of reported employee telework use and sent a questionnaire to solicit these agencies' perspectives on the use of IT in transitioning to maximum telework. GAO also reviewed the selected agencies' information security documentation and interviewed relevant officials."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-09-28
-
Pandemic-Resilient Community Planning: 'Practical Ways to Help Communities Prepare for, Respond to, and Recover from Pandemics and Other Economic, Social and Environmental Shocks' [September 28, 2021]
From the Abstract: "'Resilience' refers to a system's ability to respond to changes, including sudden shocks. This report investigates ways that communities can become more resilient to pandemics and other disasters. It compares COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] with other health risks, examines various problems caused by the pandemic, and recommends ways that communities can better prepare for, respond to, and recover from the pandemics. Pandemic-resilient planning requires policies that minimize contagion risks, provide basic access and delivery services during periods of restricted mobility, support physical and mental health during lockdowns, and provide affordable mobility for households with reduced incomes. To minimize contagion risk, planners should help operators and travelers ensure appropriate distancing, sanitizing and hygiene practices. Walking and bicycling are generally the safest and most affordable modes, improve physical and mental health, and help reduce social isolation, so improving walking and bicycling conditions tends to increase resilience."
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
Litman, Todd
2021-09-28
-
Failure to Mitigate Risk of and Manage a COVID-19 Outbreak at a Community Living Center at VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville, Illinois
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection to assess allegations that facility leaders failed to mitigate risk of and manage a community living center (CLC) COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] outbreak (CLC outbreak) at the VA Illiana Health Care System (facility) in Danville, Illinois. In the fall of 2020, 11 residents died of COVID-19, and 239 patients and 92 staff were diagnosed with the virus. The allegations stated that a COVID-19 outbreak occurred in two CLC neighborhoods--Unity and Victory--and there was a failure to observe general infection control practices specifically related to respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE) use, issuance, and training; failure to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 for CLC residents and staff; and inconsistent ongoing testing and failure to notify residents, their families, and staff of positive COVID-19 test results. The OIG [Office of the Inspector General] identified concerns related to facility and CLC leaders' actions following the CLC outbreak."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-09-28
-
Pandemic Highlights Need for Additional Tribal Drinking Water Assistance and Oversight in EPA Regions 9 and 10
From the Document: "The Office of Inspector General initiated [hyperlink] this evaluation to determine how the coronavirus pandemic--that is, the SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] virus and resultant COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] disease--affected the ability of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regions 9 and 10 to provide oversight to help public water systems in Indian Country deliver safe drinking water to customers. Our work focused on oversight of tribal drinking water systems in Regions 9 and 10, as more federally recognized tribes are located in these two regions than in other EPA regions. We sought to understand the conditions facing tribal drinking water systems and how the pandemic affected the regions' direct implementation and use of existing regulations and tools during the pandemic."
United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of the Inspector General
2021-09-27
-
Care Concerns and the Impact of COVID-19 on a Patient at the Fayetteville VA Coastal Health Care System in North Carolina
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection at the Fayetteville VA Coastal Health Care System (facility) in North Carolina to assess concerns related to quality, coordination, and timeliness of a patient's care in 2020. The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the care of the patient was also evaluated. The patient later died at another Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-09-27
