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• Protecting Transportation Workers and Passengers from COVID: Gaps in Safety, Lessons Learned, and Next Steps, Remote Hearing Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session, February 4, 2021

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  This is the February 4, 2021 remote hearing on "Protecting Transportation Workers and Passengers from COVID: Gaps in Safety, Lessons Learned, and Next Steps," held before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. From the testimony of David Michaels: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has created an unprecedented public health crisis, with a huge impact on the transportation sector. Workers need better protection to avoid illness and death. Passengers need reassurance that they can travel without fear of infection. And the industry needs safe workers and willing passengers to survive in this difficult period. [...] The most effective way to reduce exposure is to make sure that people who may be spreading the virus stay home. Workers need to be supported financially to enable them to quarantine or isolate as appropriate and small employers may need help paying for this. Enacting emergency sick leave support should be a very high legislative priority." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: David Michaels, Sara Nelson, Lewie Pugh, Ismael Rivera, William P. Bahnfleth and Joe Buscaino.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2022
• Oversight of the Treasury Department's and Federal Reserve's Pandemic Response, Hybrid Hearing Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Second Session, December 2, 2020

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  This is the December 2, 2020 hearing on "Oversight of the Treasury Department's and Federal Reserve's Pandemic Response," held before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services. From the opening statement of Maxine Waters: "Today, the committee convenes to conduct oversight over the Treasury Department's and Federal Reserve's pandemic response. This pandemic continues to have a terrible impact across the nation. There have been over 13.4 million coronavirus cases in the U.S., which is almost double the amount of cases when Secretary Mnuchin and Chair Powell last testified in September, and over 267,000 people have lost their lives to the virus. Hospitalizations and deaths are surging as this crisis spirals out of control. Small businesses are shutting their doors permanently, and millions are at risk of eviction, foreclosure, and being laid off." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Steven T. Mnuchin and Jerome H. Powell.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2022
• MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, December 31, 2021

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  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: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Vaccine Safety in Children Aged 5-11 Years -- United States, November 3-December 19, 2021"; "Interim Estimate of Vaccine Effectiveness of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) Vaccine in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection Among Adolescents Aged 12-17 Years -- Arizona, July-December 2021"; "Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of Children and Adolescents Aged

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

  2021-12-31
• Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 15) Revision 3 - Department of Defense Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Laboratory Testing Services

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  From the Document: "This memorandum updates previous DoD coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-I9) laboratory testing guidance and rescinds and replaces reference (a) ['Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 15) Revision 2 -Department of Defense Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Laboratory Testing Services']. This force health protection (FHP) supplement provides guidance on COVID-19 testing for eligible persons suspected of having contracted COVID-19, and applies Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) testing guidance in the DoD context. DoD Components will continue to employ clinical diagnostic testing in accordance with this guidance. This guidance also supports the DoD surveillance strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic response with complementary health surveillance activities, screening, asymptomatic testing, and sentinel screening testing surveillance consistent with applicable law and in accordance with reference (b) ['Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 22) - Department of Defense Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Surveillance and Screening Testing']."

  United States. Department of Defense

  2021-12-30
• Tools to Mitigate the Threat of the Omicron Variant of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the Department of Defense

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  From the Document: "This memorandum provides an update on tools to mitigate the threat of the Omicron variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-I9) in the DoD. The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] virus, which causes COVID-19, was first reported to the World Health Organization on November 24, 2021. Even though much remains unknown about the new variant, evidence suggests that it is more transmissible than previous COVID-l9 variants. Even if the Omicron variant proves to be milder than other COVID-I9 variants, its transmissibility has the ability to overwhelm our health care systems and impact the operational readiness of our Forces. While the Omicron variant's characteristics may differ from other variants, the tools that we have successfully used throughout the pandemic, such as masking, physical distancing, teleworking, testing, and vaccination, remain effective and must be continuously implemented."

  United States. Department of Defense

  2021-12-30
• COVID-19 Guidance for Businesses and Critical Infrastructure

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  From the Introduction: "The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is dedicated to supporting Chicago's workplaces throughout the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. Our role is to inform the City's businesses about public health mitigation strategies in order to prevent and reduce transmission of COVID-19 while maintaining business operations. Communication and cooperation with public health officials is very important. The more public health officials understand about your operation, the more they will be able to help provide specific guidance and options that will be least disruptive. This guide offers resources for non-healthcare workplace settings, including what to do in the event of COVID-19 cases in the workplace and how to mitigate spread. COVID-19 can spread within workplaces and, depending on the type of business, to customers. It is critical that businesses provide employees with clear COVID-19 guidance to protect their health, prevent transmission to others, and minimize disruptions to daily operations within the workplace. This is especially important in settings where COVID-19 vaccination rates of workers and/or customers are low or unknown."

  Chicago (Ill.). Department of Public Health

  2021-12-30
• Fourth Amendment Limits on Extensive Quarantine Surveillance

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  From the Abstract: "The devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic spurred innovations in technology and public policy. Many countries rushed to implement extensive quarantines, and some introduced disease surveillance, including location tracking to enforce quarantines. Though the United States has never implemented high-tech quarantine surveillance, such technology will certainly be available for the next disease outbreak. Absent significant doctrinal change, the Fourth Amendment likely bars some, but not all, forms of quarantine surveillance. Quarantine surveillance probably constitutes a Fourth Amendment 'search' that generally must be backed by probable cause. This probable cause requirement, and its subcomponent of individualized suspicion, likely applies differently to different kinds of surveillance programs. In targeted programs--say, only surveilling individuals who are sick--the government would, before surveilling an individual, have evidence unique to that individual that would justify heightened caution. This could constitute probable cause. But en mass surveillance--say, surveilling all citizens of a town--would lack individualized evidence, being based on the broad danger posed by the disease. The Fourth Amendment likely demands, at a minimum, that quarantine surveillance programs be tightly restrained: targeting only those people who pose a distinct, individualized danger to public health."

  Duke University. School of Law

  Wolters, Benjamin

  2021-12-29
• Misleading a Pandemic: The Viral Effects of Chinese Propaganda and the Coronavirus

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  "T he COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has had a significant impact on the world, including strained diplomatic ties and blurred perceptions of who or what is responsible for its origins. In response to allegations, China crafted an intricate social media campaign to clear its name. This campaign gained notoriety in June 2020 when Twitter removed 150,000 malicious Chinese accounts. The accretion of fictitious accounts suggests that China has emboldened its efforts to spread propaganda on Twitter in favor of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) objectives. Although previous Chinese propaganda campaigns had focused on demeaning the protests in Hong Kong, a massive wave of social media rhetoric promoting the Chinese government's response to the coronavirus outbreak as a form of Great Power competition--initially downplaying the pandemic's severity while seeking praise for the government's draconian efforts to contain its spread--is a narrative that underscores the changing character of war. It seems the information that the CCP passed through Twitter is more mendacious than originally perceived, resembling stratagems from Russia's 2014 disinformation playbook in Crimea."

  National Defense University Press

  Wendler, JohnRoss

  2021-12-29
• Apache Tribe of Oklahoma's Use of Coronavirus Relief Fund Payment (OIG-CA-22-006)

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  From the Document: "We would like to thank you and other representatives of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (Apache Tribe) for meeting with our office on September 22, 2021 to discuss our letter, dated July 28, 2021, regarding the use of Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) proceeds received from the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). [...] This letter is to inform you that our position on the matter has not changed after consideration of your written response, received August 10, 2021(included as attachment 2 of this letter), and follow up discussions at our September 22nd meeting. As described below, Apache Tribe's explanation for using the $500,000 of CRF proceeds as collateral for the loan in question does not comply with the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] Act and Treasury's 'Coronavirus Relief Fund Guidance for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments' (Guidance). Under the 'Uses of Funds' requirements of Section 601(d) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the CARES Act, payments from the Fund may only be used to cover costs that-- [1] are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); [2] were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government; and [3] were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 31, 2021."

  United States. Department of the Treasury. Office of Inspector General

  Delmar, Richard K.

  2021-12-28
• MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, December 28, 2021: Investigation of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Cluster -- Nebraska, November-December 2021

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  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: "Investigation of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Cluster -- Nebraska, November-December 2021." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from MMWR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

  Jansen, Lauren; Tegomoh, Bryan; Lange, Kate

  2021-12-28
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 - Implementation of Measures Designed to Mitigate the Threat of the Delta and Omicron Variants to the Pentagon Reservation

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  From the Document: "The Pentagon Reservation remains at Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Bravo Plus (Bravo +). We have seen an increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and positive test results in the National Capitol Region (NCR) in recent weeks. Additional mitigation measures will be implemented on the Pentagon Reservation to protect the workforce and our support to the no-fail mission of the Department of Defense. We will continually assess health protection measures and will update this guidance, as appropriate. [1] All DoD personnel are strongly encouraged to receive the booster dose to protect themselves against COVID-19. Individuals 18 years of age or older, who completed a primary vaccination series with an mRNA [messenger ribonucleic acids] vaccine (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna) at least six months ago, and those who received a Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago, are eligible for a booster dose. COVID-19 vaccinations remain widely available at military medical treatment facilities and other locations at no cost to the recipient. [2] COVID-19 vaccines will again be available for eligible Service members, DoD civilian employees, and on-site DoD contractor personnel at the DiLorenzo Pentagon Health Clinic and at the Pentagon Library Conference Center, beginning on January 5, 2022. Individuals can make a reservation for a vaccination, through this CAC [common access card] restricted URL: https://apps.sp.pentagon.mil/sites/Vaccination/Pages/Home.aspx. The Pentagon Health Clinic is currently administering only the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine. [3] DoD personnel are encouraged to consider using an FDA-approved COVID-19 home test kit upon return from the Federal holiday period prior to returning to the workplace."

  United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Director of Administration and Management

  2021-12-27
• COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Installation Status Update [As of December 27, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Travel Restrictions 'LIFTED' at 206 of 230 Installations (90%) (Met: Step 1 & Step 2)[.] Of the 206 installations with lifted travel restrictions this week, 2 reinstated travel restrictions while 0 lifted restrictions."

  United States. Department of Defense

  2021-12-27
• From Airports to Arms: New Insights and Urgent Recommendations to Accelerate Global COVID-19 Vaccinations

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  From the Introduction: "Almost two years into the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic the world remains in a perilous position, with over 270 million reported cases, over 5.3 million reported deaths, and trillions of dollars in lost economic activity. Inequities in access to vaccines and other life-saving interventions, as well as a lack of commitment and implementation of a cohesive, coordinated, appropriately resourced global action plan, leave everyone more vulnerable, especially those in LMICs [low- and middle-income countries]. To end the pandemic, the best line of defense against COVID-19-- including Omicron and potential future variants -- is rapid, widespread and equitable vaccination combined with additional evidence-based public health measures. Persistent challenges to equitable vaccine supply, allocation, distribution, acceptance, and financing, combined with local and regional vaccine delivery factors have resulted in 70 of the world's poorest and least-resourced countries falling tragically short of reaching the World Health Organization's (WHO) year-end target [hyperlink] of 40% vaccination coverage, a critical milestone to reaching the WHO and G20 [Group of Twenty] endorsed [hyperlink] target of 70% coverage by mid-2022. The inequities are stark: the average full vaccination coverage [hyperlink] across low-income countries is only 4%, compared to 69% in high income countries. [...] On 13 December 2021, the COVID Global Accountability Platform (COVID GAP [Global Accountability Platform], led by Duke University and COVID Collaborative), WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, co-hosted a joint global convening on vaccination challenges. [...] This report summarizes insights and recommendations from that convening, and also draws on learnings from national, regional, and global vaccination efforts over the past year, particularly those led by WHO and UNICEF through COVAX [COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access] Country Readiness and Delivery (CRD) activities and by Africa CDC and the African Union."

  COVID Global Accountability Platform; World Health Organization; UNICEF . . .

  Boyer, Elizabeth; Edson, Gary R.; Lindstrand, Ann . . .

  2021-12-23
• Enhanced Fitness of SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern Alpha but Not Beta

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  From the Document: "This is a PDF file of a peer-reviewed paper that has been accepted for publication. Although unedited, the content has been subjected to preliminary formatting. Nature is providing this early version of the typeset paper as a service to our authors and readers. [...] Emerging variants of concern (VOC) drive the SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] pandemic. Experimental assessment of replication and transmission of major VOC compared to progenitors are needed to understand successful emerging mechanisms of VOC. Here, we show that Alpha and Beta spike (S) proteins have a greater affinity to human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor over the progenitor variant (wt-S614G) in vitro. Yet Alpha and wt-S614G had similar replication kinetics in human nasal airway epithelial cultures, whereas Beta was outcompeted by both. In vivo, competition experiments showed a clear fitness advantage of Alpha over the progenitor variant (wt-S614G) in ferrets and two mouse models, where the substitutions in S were major drivers for fitness advantage. In hamsters, supporting high replication levels, Alpha and wt-S614G had comparable fitness. In contrast, Beta was outcompeted by Alpha and wt-S614G in hamsters and hACE2-expressing mice. Our study highlights the importance of using multiple models for complete fitness characterization of VOC and demonstrates adaptation of Alpha towards increased upper respiratory tract replication and enhanced transmission in vivo in restrictive models, whereas Beta fails to overcome contemporary strains in naïve animals."

  Nature Publishing Group

  Ulrich, Lorenz; Halwe, Nico Joel; Taddeo, Adriano . . .

  2021-12-22
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact in Africa [Updated December 22, 2021]

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  From the Document: "In December 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a 'fourth wave' of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] cases across much of Africa, notably in southern Africa. This followed South Africa's genomic identification and notification to international health authorities of the new 'Omicron' variant, first detected in Botswana. Public fatigue with infection control measures, the Delta variant, and low vaccination rates helped drive earlier waves of cases in many African countries in 2021. Omicron's rapid spread prompted countries around the world (including the United States) to restrict travel from southern Africa, which African leaders decried as punitive and discriminatory. Overall, confirmed cases and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (hereinafter, 'Africa') have been lower than in other world regions and concentrated in a few countries, with the majority in South Africa (Figure 1). As access to testing has been low in many countries, some health experts posit that actual caseloads and mortality may be higher."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Arieff, Alexis; Blanchard, Lauren Ploch; Cook, Nicolas . . .

  2021-12-22
• Alleviating Food Insecurity in the Disabled Community: Lessons Learned from Community Solutions During the Pandemic

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  From the Webpage: "Disability and food insecurity have a close and well-documented relationship. Inequities in economic opportunity for disabled people have made disability a key factor in predicting vulnerability to food insecurity; in turn, increased food insecurity is also associated with higher rates of disabilities related to chronic illness. This issue brief provides background on long-standing barriers to food security and access for disabled people in the United States. It then discusses the coronavirus pandemic's impacts and highlights disability and community organizations' solutions to these issues. Finally, it provides recommendations for the federal government to alleviate food insecurity in the disability community, including by expanding the definition of disability for anti-poverty programs, disaggregating data to include disability in hunger and food systems research, increasing federal funding to target food insecurity, and expanding and making permanent the online food purchasing pilot program in all states. Centering the experiences of community organizations that have worked to meet people's basic needs on a day-to-day basis--coupled with necessary policy changes at the federal level--is essential to beginning to address hunger in the disability community, both during and after the pandemic."

  Center for American Progress

  Ives-Rublee, Mia; Sloane, Christine

  2021-12-21
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) on Health Care Employment and Vaccinations and Testing for Large Employers [December 21, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "The OSHA COVID-19 ETS [Occupational Safety and Health Administration Coronavirus Disease 2019 Emergency Temporary Standards] for health care employers requires health care employers to develop COVID-19 plans and protect employees from COVID-19 exposure through health screenings, personal protective equipment (PPE), building ventilation, and physical distancing and barriers. The ETS requires health care employers to remove any employees with COVID-19 from the workplace while providing them with certain benefits. Health care employers are not required to mandate that their employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine but must provide reasonable time off for employees to receive a vaccine and recover from any vaccine-related side effects. The ETS includes new COVID-19 recordkeeping and reporting requirements for health care employers and permits health care employers to forgo the medical evaluation and fit-testing requirements of OSHA's respiratory protection standard when providing respirators to employees in certain circumstances."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Szymendera, Scott

  2021-12-21
• Business Interruption Insurance and COVID-19 [Updated December 21, 2021]

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  From the Document: "The economic disruption from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has provoked debate among insurers, policyholders, and other stakeholders about who is responsible for these losses. The loss of income from mandatory or voluntary closures, supply chain disruptions, and reduced demand due to social distancing measures has induced businesses of all sizes to seek compensation from insurers. The focus of the policy debate has been on commercial insurance that covered income losses from business interruption (BI) and similar insurance that covered losses from event cancellation. Such concerns may be revived as businesses consider closures due to the Omicron variant."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Horn, Diane P.; Webel, Baird

  2021-12-21
• Three State Prison Oversight During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case for Increased Transparency, Accountability and Monitoring Based on Experiences from Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania

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  From the Executive Summary: "This report documents the impact of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic and the response in prisons in Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania - the only three states in the country with non-governmental oversight bodies. It is based on publicly available information as well as information collected directly by these oversight agencies: The John Howard Association of Illinois (JHA, founded in 1901), The Pennsylvania Prison Society (The Society, founded in 1787) and The Correctional Association of New York (CANY, founded in 1844). It provides data unavailable in states lacking similar independent oversight, and it tells a story of very different responses to comparable challenges, and a lack of transparency on the details of the crisis and policies developed in response."

  Pennsylvania Prison Society; John Howard Association (Chicago, Ill.); Correctional Association of New York

  2021-12-21?
• Role of Non-COVID-Specific and COVID-Specific Factors in Predicting a Shift in Willingness to Vaccinate: A Panel Study

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  From the Document: "Although declines in intent to vaccinate had been identified in international surveys conducted between June and October 2020, including in the United States, some individuals in the United States who previously expressed reluctance said, in spring 2021, that they were willing to vaccinate. That change raised the following questions: What factors predicted an increased willingness to inoculate against COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]? And, to what extent was the change driven by COVID-specific factors, such as personal worry about the disease and COVID-specific misinformation, and to what extent by background (non-COVID-specific) factors, such as trust in medical authorities, accurate/inaccurate information about vaccination, vaccination history, and patterns of media reliance? This panel study of more than 8,000 individuals found that trust in health authorities anchored acceptance of vaccination and that knowledge about vaccination, flu vaccination history, and patterns of media reliance played a more prominent role in shifting individuals from vaccination hesitance to acceptance than COVID-specific factors. COVID-specific conspiracy beliefs did play a role, although a lesser one. These findings underscore the need to reinforce trust in health experts, facilitate community engagement with them, and preemptively communicate the benefits and safety record of authorized vaccines. The findings suggest, as well, the need to identify and deploy messaging able to undercut health-related conspiracy beliefs when they begin circulating."

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

  Jamieson, Kathleen Hall; Romer, Daniel, 1946-; Jamieson, Patrick E., 1973- . . .

  2021-12-20
• Proposals for a COVID-19 Congressional Advisory Commission in the 117th Congress: A Comparative Analysis [December 20, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "Historically, Congress creates temporary advisory commissions to assist in the development of public policy. Among other contexts, Congress has created commissions following a crisis, including the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 2008 financial crisis. In such situations, advisory commissions may provide Congress with a high-visibility forum to assemble expertise that might not exist within the legislative environment; allow for the in-depth examination of complex, crosscutting policy issues; and lend bipartisan credibility to a set of findings and recommendations. In other situations, Congress may determine that an advisory commission is unnecessary and instead prefer to utilize existing congressional oversight structures, such as standing or select committees. This report provides a comparative analysis of six congressional advisory commissions proposed in the 117th Congress that would investigate various aspects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, governmental responses, governmental pandemic preparedness, and the virus's impact on the U.S. economy and society. Each proposed commission would be similar in many respects, both to each other and to previous independent congressional advisory commissions."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Straus, Jacob R.

  2021-12-20
• COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Installation Status Update [As of December 20, 2021]

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  From the Document: "Travel Restrictions LIFTED at 208 of 230 Installations (90%) (Met: Step 1 & Step 2)[.] Of the 208 installations with lifted travel restrictions this week, 1 reinstated travel restrictions while 0 lifted restrictions."

  United States. Department of Defense

  2021-12-20
• Force Health Protection Guidance (Supplement 23) Revision 3 - Department of Defense Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Attestation, Screening Testing, and Vaccination Verification

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  From the Document: "This memorandum [...] provides updated guidance for implementing additional force health protection and workplace safety measures directed by the White House Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (reference (b)) to reduce the transmission of the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). [...] DoD civilian employees were required to be fully vaccinated by November 22,2021, subject to exemptions as required by law. For purposes of this guidance, 'DoD civilian employee' includes foreign nationals employed by DoD outside the United States to the maximum extent possible while respecting host nation agreements and laws. It also includes DoD civilian employees who are engaged in full-time telework or remote work."

  United States. Department of Defense

  2021-12-20
• COVID-19 State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report 20 (November 9 - 29, 2021)

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  From the Summary: "Consumers and news outlets had questions and concerns about the SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Omicron variant. The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Report was published on December 10, 2021[.] [...] Additionally, the public continued to have questions and expressed frustration about vaccine guidance. Consumers also expressed growing interest in using alternatives to the COVID-19 vaccines, such as therapeutics and infection-acquired immunity. Finally, consumers continue to have questions and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines for children and COVID-19 vaccine booster doses. [...] Federal, state, and local partners should continue to work together to explain the rationale for updated guidance, respond to gaps in information, and confront misinformation with evidence-based messaging. The goal of these efforts is to increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and expand vaccine uptake more broadly. To increase vaccine confidence and optimize clinical encounters, continue to disseminate messages about the safety of receiving the COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same appointment for adults and children. Finally, partner with trusted messengers, especially pharmacists, vaccine champions, and healthcare workers, to increase their knowledge regarding the safety of receiving the COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same appointment and communicate this to the public."

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

  2021-12-20
• Review of State Plans for Use of Governor's Emergency Education Relief Funds

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  From the Document: "The objectives of our review were to review States' initial 45-day GEER [Governor's Emergency Education Relief] Fund reports to determine how States plan to allocate funds to entities within the three authorized categories: local educational agencies (LEA), institutions of higher education (IHE), and education-related entities, and the criteria upon which these decisions were based; and review GEER Fund annual reports to identify changes to and progress made from the initial plans in the 45-day reports. To accomplish our objective, we reviewed plans submitted by each of the 50 States, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to determine how they planned to allocate funds to entities within the three authorized categories and the criteria upon which these decisions were based. [...] The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. It authorized more than $2 trillion to battle Coronavirus Disease 2019 (coronavirus) and its economic effects. The CARES Act provided approximately $31 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally. The Education Stabilization Fund is composed of three primary emergency relief funds: a GEER Fund, an Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, and a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund."

  United States. Department of Education. Office of Inspector General

  2021-12-20
• Guidance on Eligibility for a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Booster Dose

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  From the Document: "On November 29, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published updated guidance on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) vaccine boosters recommending all adults 18 years and older receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose 6 months following completion of an initial Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna vaccine series, or 2 months following a primary dose of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Consistent with CDC guidance, it is recommended that individuals 18 years of age or older should obtain a COVID-19 booster dose if they: [1] Have completed the primary Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series (i.e., received the second dose of the vaccine) more than 6 months ago, or; [2] Have received a primary dose of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine more than 2 months ago. Individuals ages 16 or 17 can obtain a Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 booster dose if they have completed the primary Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine series (i.e., received the second dose of the vaccine) more than 6 months ago. Receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose is not mandatory for any DOD personnel and a booster dose is not required for an individual to be considered fully vaccinated. Personnel are still considered to be fully vaccinated 2 weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose vaccine series (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna vaccines), or 2 weeks after a singledose vaccine (e.g., Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine)."

  United States. Department of Defense. Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness

  Cisneros, Gilbert R., Jr.

  2021-12-17
• Millions Embrace Covid-19 Misinformation, Which is Linked to Hesitancy on Vaccination and Boosters

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  From the Document: "Twenty-one months into the global pandemic, millions of Americans continue to believe misinformation about vaccination and Covid-19, and these beliefs are associated with hesitancy to get themselves and their children vaccinated - or, if they are vaccinated, to get a booster for added protection against the omicron and delta variants. In the fourth survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of more than 1,600 U.S. adults, in November 2021 the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania continued its tracking of misbeliefs and conspiracy theories that have persisted and, in rare cases, grown since the inception of the pandemic. The policy center has been conducting this panel study since April 2021, and began tracking beliefs about the novel coronavirus and vaccination even earlier, with cross-sectional surveys beginning in March 2020. [...] Although confidence in him remains high, the survey also found a softening of support for Dr. Anthony Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The face of the U.S. pandemic response, Fauci has weathered an extended onslaught of unjustified attacks in conservative and ultraconservative media. While his overall support is unchanged, with two-thirds of Americans confident Fauci is providing trustworthy information on treating and preventing Covid-19, the group of those who support him most strongly has diminished while the ranks of those with no confidence have grown."

  Annenberg Public Policy Center

  2021-12-17
• Cybersecurity and Telework During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  From the Document: "The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform requested the Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General identify any vulnerabilities created or exacerbated by the Department of the Treasury's use of remote access software to facilitate telework during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether any such vulnerabilities were effectively mitigated. TIGTA [Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration] coordinated with the Office of Inspector General and completed this review to address the Committee's request relative to the IRS [Internal Revenue Service]. Our overall objective was to review cybersecurity related to IRS telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. [...] The United States has recently been the target of several high-profile cyberattacks. As cybersecurity threats against the Federal Government and other entities continue to grow, protecting the confidentiality of taxpayer information continues to be a top concern for the IRS."

  United States. Office of the Inspector General for Tax Administration

  2021-12-17
• Special Authorities for Veterans' Educational Assistance Programs During the COVID-19 Emergency [Updated December 17, 2021]

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  From the Document: "On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency (COVID-19 coronavirus disease 2019] emergency) under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. [United States Code] §247d). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and veterans' educational assistance beneficiaries raised concerns that abrupt disruptions to programs of education, educational institutions, and employment could negatively impact the short-term finances of beneficiaries and their continued pursuit of educational programs. In response, special authorities were enacted, and amended, by [1] P.L. 116-128 on March 21, 2020; [2] the Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-140) on April 28, 2020; [3] the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (P.L. 116-159) on October 1, 2020; and [4] the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-315) on January 5, 2021. The authorities reduce the effect of such disruptions on beneficiaries by extending benefits or not reducing benefit levels during the covered period from March 1, 2020, through December 21, 2021. The REMOTE [Responsible Education Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions Act] Act (H.R. 5545), as passed by the House on December 8, 2021, and the Senate on December 15, 2021, would extend the covered period to June 1, 2022, if signed into law by the President. Additionally, a VA administrative action provides temporary debt relief. After a brief introduction to veterans' educational assistance programs, this In Focus describes the special authorities and administrative action."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Dortch, Cassandria

  2021-12-17
• MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, December 17, 2021

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  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: "Report of Health Care Provider Recommendation for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Vaccination Among Adults, by Recipient COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Attitudes -- United States, April-September 2021"; "SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant -- United States, December 1-8, 2021"; "Booster and Additional Primary Dose COVID-19 Vaccinations Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years -- United States, August 13, 2021-November 19, 2021"; "Trends in and Characteristics of Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyls -- United States, 2019-2020"; "Notes from the Field: Mucormycosis Cases During the COVID-19 Pandemic -- Honduras, May-September 2021"; "Notes from the Field: COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis -- Arkansas, July-September 2021"; and "QuickStats: Distribution of Hours per Day That Office-Based Primary Care and Specialist Care Physicians Spent Outside Normal Office Hours Documenting Clinical Care in Their Medical Record System -- United States, 2019." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

  2021-12-17