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COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance
From the Document: "CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] uses several data sources and systems to track antimicrobial resistance in the United States and abroad. Knowing where and how changes in resistance are occurring helps us find solutions to prevent spread and slow resistance, especially in outbreak responses. Recently, the United States has been building a solid foundation for public health preparedness to address antimicrobial resistance. [...] More resources are needed to continue establishing a resilient public health system that can maintain capacity to respond to antimicrobial resistance while also responding to other threats. Without an infrastructure and supply chains grounded in preparedness, critical antimicrobial resistance data will be delayed again when the next threat emerges. We must address gaps identified before the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, including expanding the public health workforce, increasing local access to the best detection tools and technology, and expanding global lab capacities." This document includes charts, tables, and graphs to illustrate the text.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit
2022-06
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COVID-19 -- Food and Nutrition Service's Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer -- Interim Report
From the What OIG [Office of the Inspector General] Found: "The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT), administered by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), provided benefits loaded on EBT cards for the purchase of food in lieu of the meals that the children would have received in school. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) authorized the establishment of P-EBT temporary assistance for households with children affected by school closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Secretary authorized $37.1 billion to the States from P-EBT's March 18, 2020, inception through March 31, 2021, with the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval. We also found that during the period reviewed, FNS conducted outreach activities--such as webinars, phone calls, and written documentation--to maximize State participation in P-EBT assistance. Finally, FNS did not develop formal procedures to distribute P�'EBT funds because P-EBT provided temporary emergency assistance benefits. Instead, FNS used the legislative eligibility requirements to develop State plan templates and released guidance for State agencies to submit their proposed plans to FNS for approval. We did not identify any issues that would warrant recommendations; therefore, we are not making any recommendations in this report."
United States. Department of Agriculture. Office of the Inspector General
2022-06
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Atlas Dogma: The Trump Administration's Embrace of a Dangerous and Discredited Herd Immunity Via Mass Infection Strategy
From the Executive Summary: "For the past two years, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis has been investigating the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the American people receive a full accounting of what went wrong and to determine what corrective steps are necessary to ensure our nation is better prepared for any future public health crisis. To those ends, the Select Subcommittee has conducted an exhaustive investigation into the extent to which senior Trump Administration officials undermined the federal public health response in an attempt to advance former President Donald Trump's perceived political interests. This report is the first installment of the Select Subcommittee's findings showing that the Trump Administration's political interference was rampant and degraded every major facet of the nation's public health response during the first year of the pandemic."
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
2022-06
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COVID-19 Relief Assistance to Small Businesses: Issues and Policy Options [Updated May 31, 2022]
From the Summary: "The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administers several types of programs to support small businesses, including direct disaster loan programs for businesses, homeowners, and renters; loan guaranty and venture capital programs; management and technical assistance training programs; and contracting programs. Congressional interest in these programs has become especially acute in the wake of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's widespread adverse economic impact on the national economy. This report provides a brief description of the SBA's programs and examines congressional action to assist small businesses during and immediately following the Great Recession (2007- 2009) and during the COVID-19 pandemic[.]"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Dilger, Robert Jay, 1954-; Lindsay, Bruce R.
2022-05-31
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U.S. Economic Recovery in the Wake of COVID-19: Successes and Challenges [May 31, 2022]
From the Introduction: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to the basic functioning of the economy in spring 2020. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), an independent, nonprofit research group, the U.S. economy experienced a two-month recession in March and April of 2020. The recession was the deepest since the Great Depression, with gross domestic product (GDP) falling by the largest percentage in one quarter in the history of the data series and unemployment rising to its highest monthly rate in the history of that series. Just as economic activity had declined at a historically fast pace, it also started to recover at a historically fast pace. In May 2020, a new economic expansion began, spurred in large part by the historic nature of both fiscal and monetary stimulus throughout the initial months of the pandemic. The recovery continued throughout 2020 and 2021, bolstered by additional stimulus, the gradual loosening of travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders, and the eventual rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. [...] This report details the initial economic impact of the pandemic and the ways in which the economy has recovered and continues to recover. This report further explores the ways in which this shock and recovery have been unusual and what this all might mean for the economy in the coming months and years."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Labonte, Marc; Weinstock, Lida R.
2022-05-31
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Artificial Intelligence-enabled Social Media Analysis for Pharmacovigilance of COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United Kingdom: Observational Study
From the Abstract: "The rollout of vaccines for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] in the United Kingdom started in December 2020. Uptake has been high, and there has been a subsequent reduction in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths among vaccinated individuals. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a concern, in particular relating to adverse effects following immunization (AEFIs). Social media analysis has the potential to inform policy makers about AEFIs being discussed by the public as well as public attitudes toward the national immunization campaign. [...] We sought to assess the frequency and nature of AEFI-related mentions on social media in the United Kingdom and to provide insights on public sentiments toward COVID-19 vaccines. [...] We extracted and analyzed over 121,406 relevant Twitter and Facebook posts, from December 8, 2020, to April 30, 2021. These were thematically filtered using a 2-step approach, initially using COVID-19-related keywords and then using vaccine- and manufacturer-related keywords. We identified AEFI-related keywords and modeled their word frequency to monitor their trends over 2-week periods. We also adapted and utilized our recently developed hybrid ensemble model, which combines state-of-the-art lexicon rule-based and deep learning-based approaches, to analyze sentiment trends relating to the main vaccines available in the United Kingdom. [...] The most frequently discussed COVID-19 AEFIs on social media were found to be broadly consistent with those reported in the literature and by government pharmacovigilance. We also detected potential safety signals from our analysis that have been detected elsewhere and are currently being investigated. As such, we believe our findings support the use of social media analysis to provide a complementary data source to conventional knowledge sources being used for pharmacovigilance purposes." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e32543].
JMIR Publications
Hussain, Zain; Sheikh, Zakariya; Tahir, Ahsen . . .
2022-05-27
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Why the World Should Care About the COVID Outbreak in North Korea
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] outbreak in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is an immediate global concern. The country's healthcare infrastructure, which the Global Health Index has ranked 193rd out of 195, is not equipped to handle a pandemic, especially not one that transmits as quickly as the Omicron variant. Without proper treatments and vaccines, the virus threatens to run rampant in the country. This would create the perfect conditions for new variants to arise, which is a threat to the rest of the world. Many will rightfully point out here that the US, South Korea and multilateral initiatives like COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) have expressed a willingness to provide COVID [coronavirus disease] aid, which North Korea has not accepted to date. Extending beyond the likely frustrations in Washington and Seoul, it's crucial to underscore that the rapid spread of Omicron and other emerging variants are not just about North Korea--these issues are a global security threat. As such, assistance efforts should be pursued as an urgent common objective. Moreover, it's necessary to understand the recent history of humanitarian cooperation in the country to know why North Koreans may be hesitant to accept aid, and what policy shifts might make them more amenable to receiving assistance."
38 North
Jasper, Daniel
2022-05-27
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 27, 2022
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: "Barriers to and Disparities in Access to Health Care Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years with Epilepsy -- United States, 2015 and 2017"; "Seizure- or Epilepsy-Related Emergency Department Visits Before and During the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Pandemic -- United States, 2019-2021"; "Multistate Outbreak of 'Listeria monocytogenes' Infections Linked to Fresh, Soft Hispanic-Style Cheese -- United States, 2021"; "Post-COVID Conditions Among Adult COVID-19 Survivors Aged 18-64 and ≥65 Years -- United States, March 2020-November 2021"; "'Notes from the Field': Self-Reported Health Symptoms Following Petroleum Contamination of a Drinking Water System -- Oahu, Hawaii, November 2021- February 2022"; and "'QuickStats': Percentage Distribution of Deaths Involving Injuries from Recreational and Nonrecreational Use of Watercraft, by Month -- United States, 2018-2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-05-27
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Anti-Asian Hate, Social Isolation, and Mental Health Among Asian American Elders During COVID-19
From the Executive Summary: "Over the past two years, COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] exacerbated threats to the safety and wellbeing for Asian American elders ages 60 and up -- a community that was already highly vulnerable prior to the pandemic. Early shelter-in-place orders and recommendations to limit contact with others outside their homes made seniors more physically and socially isolated. Further, anti-Asian hate and violence instilled a sense of fear and anxiety, especially among Asian American older adults in dense, urban areas. Together, these factors led to a community in crisis, with vulnerable Asian American older adults needing significant support from their families, social networks, broader communities, and government to stay safe and well."
Stop AAPI Hate; Chinese for Affirmative Action (Organization); Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council . . .
Jeung, Russell, 1962-; Yellow Horse, Aggie J.; Chen, Theresa . . .
2022-05-26
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Factors Associated with Protective Mask-Wearing Behavior to Avoid COVID-19 Infection in China: Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study
From the Abstract: "The novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] is likely to spread from person to person in close-contact settings. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a handbook on COVID-19, which introduced health information to the public, specifically related to wearing masks correctly and adopting preventive measures to avoid COVID-19 infection. [...] The aim of this study was to assess the level of mask knowledge, behavior related to mask usage, and major information channels used for obtaining mask- and COVID-19-related information in China. [...] Data were collected from a total of 10,304 respondents to the survey. More than half of the respondents were under 30 years old and nearly three-quarters were women. [...] This study elucidated that Chinese netizens' protective mask behavior is far lower than their mask-related knowledge. Improved information channels and adequate information on wearing masks are necessary to improve the public's protective mask behavior, particularly among men, the elderly, and people with less education." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e32278].
JMIR Publications
Xu, Yue; Wu, Qingqing; Xu, Shuiyang . . .
2022-05-26
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Audit of the Implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Section 3610
From the Executive Summary: "On 27 March 2020, Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) national emergency. Section 3610 of the CARES Act permits federal agencies, under certain circumstances, to modify terms of existing contracts or agreements, and to reimburse federal contractors' compensation due to COVID 19 [sic] related issues. The CARES Act, Section 3610 provides agencies the discretion to reimburse paid leave to federal contractors confronted with the inability of their employees or subcontractors to perform work at a federal government-approved work site due to facility closures or restrictions when their job duties could not be performed remotely. Reimbursement under the CARES Act, Section 3610 has several limitations related to contractor status, billing rates, hours, and whether the contractor has received other COVID-19 relief. As of 8 June 2021 , the National Security Agency (NSA)/ Central Security Service (CSS)-hereinafter referred to as NSA-reported $917 million in CARES invoices for a total of 81 ,000 CARES hours. The overall objective of this Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit was to determine whether NSA economically, effectively, and efficiently implemented Section 3610 of the CARES Act."
United States. National Security Agency. Office of Inspector General
2022-05-26
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Workplace Safety and Health: Data and Enforcement Challenges Limit OSHA's Ability to Protect Workers During a Crisis, Statement of Thomas M. Costa, Director Education, Workforce, and Income Security, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic raised concerns about OSHA's preparedness for a future crisis. OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration], within the Department of Labor, helps ensure safe and healthful worker conditions by setting mandatory standards, conducting inspections, and investigating incoming complaints and referrals, among other efforts. This testimony is based on work in GAO's October 2021 CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act report (GAO-22-105051) and January 2021 report on OSHA's injury and illness reporting requirement (GAO-21- 122). It examines OSHA's efforts regarding (1) COVID-19-related enforcement actions, (2) developing and using standards related to COVID19, and (3) obtaining injury and illness data to support its enforcement efforts. For the prior reports, GAO reviewed OSHA policies and federal laws and regulations, analyzed OSHA enforcement and employer-reported injury and illness data, and interviewed OSHA officials. For this testimony, GAO obtained updated data covering OSHA enforcement activity from February 2020 through December 2021, reviewed documentation, and interviewed OSHA officials."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Costa, Thomas
2022-05-25
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Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Testing Utilization Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: Cross-Sectional Online Survey
From the Abstract: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has created disruptions in HIV prevention and sexual health services for men who have sex with men (MSM). [...] This study compared HIV testing utilization in 3 different reference periods (period 1: before the COVID-19 outbreak, November 2019-January 2020; period 2: after the outbreak, February-April 2020; and period 3: after the pandemic was under initial control, May-July 2020). Factors associated with HIV testing utilization after the COVID-19 outbreak (combined periods 2 and 3) were also investigated. [...] Participants were MSM aged ≥18 years living in Shenzhen, China. Those self-reporting as HIV positive were excluded. A total of 595 participants recruited through multiple sources completed a self-administered online survey during August-September 2020. HIV testing utilization after the COVID-19 outbreak was the dependent variable, and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted. [...] HIV testing utilization among Chinese MSM declined after the COVID-19 outbreak and did not increase after the pandemic was under initial control. Removing structural barriers to accessing HIV testing caused by COVID-19, modifying perceptions related to HIV testing, and making use of HIV self-testing (HIVST) might be useful strategies to improve HIV testing among MSM during the pandemic." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e30070].
JMIR Publications
Zhang, Ke Chun; Fang, Yuan; Cao, He . . .
2022-05-25
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MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 24, 2022: Post-COVID Conditions Among Adult COVID-19 Survivors Aged 18-64 and ≥65 Years -- United States, March 2020-November 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: "Post-COVID [coronavirus disease] Conditions Among Adult COVID-19 Survivors Aged 18-64 and ≥65 Years -- United States, March 2020-November 2021." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from MMWR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-05-24
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Risk Factors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections in Fully mRNA-Vaccinated Individuals: Retrospective Analysis
From the Abstract: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] messenger RNA [ribonucleic acid] (mRNA) vaccines have demonstrated efficacy and effectiveness in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, while being relatively safe in trial studies. However, vaccine breakthrough infections have been reported. [...] This study aims to identify risk factors associated with COVID-19 breakthrough infections among fully mRNA-vaccinated individuals. [...] We conducted a series of observational retrospective analyses using the electronic health records (EHRs) of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian (CUIMC/NYP) up to September 21, 2021. New York City (NYC) adult residences with at least 1 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) record were included in this analysis. Poisson regression was performed to assess the association between the breakthrough infection rate in vaccinated individuals and multiple risk factors--including vaccine brand, demographics, and underlying conditions--while adjusting for calendar month, prior number of visits, and observational days in the EHR. [...] Although we found both mRNA vaccines were effective, Moderna/mRNA-1273 had a lower incidence rate of breakthrough infections. Immunocompromised and male individuals were among the highest risk groups experiencing breakthrough infections. Given the rapidly changing nature of the SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] pandemic, continued monitoring and a generalizable analysis pipeline are warranted to inform quick updates on vaccine effectiveness in real time." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e35311].
JMIR Publications
Liu, Cong; Lee, Junghwan; Ta, Casey . . .
2022-05-24
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Assessing North Korean Media Coverage of a Domestic COVID-19 Outbreak
From the Document: "North Korea's official acknowledgment of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, though not shocking, was an unusually bold step. State-run media for more than two years have been saturated with reports sounding the alarm about the virus and highlighting the country's quarantine efforts, all clear indicators that the leadership harbored strong concern about the possibility of an outbreak. However, both the level of detail disclosed and the targeting of the domestic audience are remarkable, given the regime's general reluctance to explicitly acknowledge any disease outbreak. That said, we are left with the question of why North Korea decided to now disclose this damning information after more than two years of denying any cases (contrary to many outside reports [hyperlink]). Moreover, why is the North reporting on the status of suspected COVID [coronavirus disease] cases in such detail, providing daily tallies--down to city and provincial levels--of new cases and even deaths?"
38 North
Lee, Rachel Minyoung
2022-05-24
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Korea's Response to COVID-19 According to Set Time Frames, With a Focus on the Network Between the Government and Responding Agencies: Social Network Analysis
From the Abstract: "In December 2019, COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] was first confirmed in Wuhan, China, and as the respiratory disease spread around the globe, there was a spike in interest worldwide in combating such contagious diseases. When such disasters occur, the central government of South Korea and its affiliated local governments--together with nongovernmental organizations--play a crucial role in crisis management systems. [...] The purpose of this paper is to corroborate the characteristics government ministries and domestic and foreign institutions exhibit through their interconnection when the parties are undergoing a disease-related catastrophe such as the COVID-19 pandemic. [...] Using the social network analysis technique, the span of the COVID-19 pandemic was segmented into 3 time frames, and the relational characteristics of the COVID-19 contagious disease response department and related agencies at home and abroad were analyzed based on 3 centralities." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e35958].
JMIR Publications
Cho, Jungyun; Kang, Wook; Lee, Julak
2022-05-23
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U.S. Border Patrol Encounters at the Southwest Border: Titles 8 & 42 [Updated May 20, 2022] [infographic]
From the Document: "The U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) is part of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Customs and Border Protection (CBP). When the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) encounters a migrant entering illegally between ports of entry, they are processed for removal under Title 8 (immigration law) and asked whether they fear persecution or intend to seek asylum. However, at the start of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order requiring USBP to use an additional procedure at the border under Title 42 (public health code). The policy prohibits the entry of certain migrants to prevent the introduction of COVID-19 into border facilities and the United States. Individuals subject to the order are not held in congregate areas for processing and not given a credible fear interview to pursue the asylum process. Instead they are swiftly expelled to Mexico or their counties of origin. The focus of this infographic is on the Southwest border; migrants arriving at the Northern border between ports of entry are subject to the same processes but make up a small share of total USBP encounters."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Singer, Audrey
2022-05-20
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Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccines to Prevent Severe COVID-19 in Costa Rica: Nationwide, Ecological Study of Hospitalization Prevalence
From the Abstract: "The Costa Rican COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccination program has used Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines. Real-world estimates of the effectiveness of these vaccines to prevent hospitalizations range from 90%-98% for two doses and from 70%-91% for a single dose. Almost all of these estimates predate the Delta variant. [...] The aim of this study is to estimate the dose-dependent effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent severe illness in real-world conditions in Costa Rica, after the Delta variant became dominant. [...] This observational study is a secondary analysis of hospitalization prevalence. The sample is all 3.67 million adult residents living in Costa Rica by mid-2021. The study is based on public aggregated data of 5978 COVID-19-related hospital records from September 14, 2021, to October 20, 2021, and 6.1 million vaccination doses administered to determine hospitalization prevalence by dose-specific vaccination status. The intervention retrospectively evaluated is vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech (78%) and Oxford-AstraZeneca (22%). The main outcome studied is being hospitalized." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e35054/].
JMIR Publications
Rosero Bixby, Luis
2022-05-20
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Individual-Level Evaluation of the Exposure Notification Cascade in the SwissCovid Digital Proximity Tracing App: Observational Study
From the Abstract: "Digital proximity tracing (DPT) aims to complement manual contact tracing (MCT) in identifying exposed contacts and preventing further transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] in the population. Although several DPT apps, including SwissCovid, have shown to have promising effects on mitigating the pandemic, several challenges have impeded them from fully achieving the desired results. A key question now relates to how the effectiveness of DPT can be improved, which requires a better understanding of factors influencing its processes. [...] In this study, we aim to provide a detailed examination of the exposure notification (EN) cascade and to evaluate potential contextual influences for successful receipt of an EN and subsequent actions taken by cases and contacts in different exposure settings.[...] We used data from 285 pairs of SARS-CoV-2-infected cases and their contacts within an observational cohort study of cases and contacts identified by MCT and enrolled between August 6, 2020, and January 17, 2021, in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. We surveyed participants with electronic questionnaires. Data were summarized descriptively and stratified by exposure setting. [...] Our descriptive evaluation of the DPT notification cascade provides further evidence that DPT is an important complementary tool in pandemic mitigation, especially in nonhousehold exposure settings. However, the effect of DPT apps can only be exerted if code generation processes are efficient and exposed contacts are willing to undertake preventive actions. This highlights the need to focus efforts on keeping barriers to efficient code generation as low as possible and promoting not only app adoption but also compliance with the recommended measures upon an EN." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e35653].
JMIR Publications
Ballouz, Tala; Menges, Dominik; Aschmann, Hélène E. . . .
2022-05-19
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S. Rept. 117-111: COVID-19 Home Safety Act of 2021, Report to Accompany S. 116, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, May 18, 2022
From the Document: "The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to which was referred the bill (S. 116) to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to study the effect of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic on injuries and deaths associated with consumer products, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass.[...] The purpose of the bill is to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to submit to Congress and make publicly available, within 3 months of the bill's enactment and every 3 months thereafter while the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency continues, a report on the effect of the COVID-19 public health emergency on injuries and deaths from consumer products. The CPSC must also collaborate with public media outlets to distribute resource information for increasing home safety during the COVID-19 public health emergency, based on the contents of the report."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2022-05-18
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H. Rept. 117-327: COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022, Report to Accompany H.R. 7334, May 17, 2022
From the Document: "The Committee on Small Business, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 7334) to extend the statute of limitations for fraud by borrowers under certain COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] economic injury disaster loan programs of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. [...] The purpose of H.R. 7334, the 'COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022', is to establish a statute of limitations of ten years for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) fraud cases."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2022-05-17
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State and Federal Authority to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination [Updated May 17, 2022]
From the Summary: "This report provides an overview of state and federal authority to mandate vaccination. The first part of the report provides background on state and local authority to mandate vaccination under the states' general police power. It discusses the Supreme Court's long-standing recognition of state and local authority to mandate vaccination as an exercise of their police power, and modern courts' analyses of more recent challenges to state vaccination mandates based on the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause. The report then analyzes the Supreme Court's evolving free exercise jurisprudence and the questions it raises regarding whether and when governments must provide for or grant religious exemptions to vaccination requirements. It then looks at how courts have addressed challenges to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccination requirements imposed by states and state entities. The second part of the report provides an overview of federal authority to mandate vaccination. It discusses several sources of existing federal statutory authority that could serve, or have been invoked, as the basis for federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates. [...] This part also reviews the extent of Congress's constitutional authority under the Constitution's Spending and Commerce Clauses to mandate vaccination. The report concludes with a brief discussion of a legal issue specific to COVID-19 vaccination mandates, particularly before FDA's licensure of Comirnaty. Namely, it reviews how courts have addressed some litigants' argument that the Emergency Use Authorization status of COVID-19 vaccines preclude entities from mandating COVID-19 vaccination."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shen, Wen W.
2022-05-17
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(U) Audit of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Use of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Funding [redacted]
From the Document: "(U) The objective of this audit was to determine whether North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) officials used Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. (U) We conducted this audit in response to an allegation made to the DoD Hotline regarding the improper use of CARES Act funds. Specifically, the allegation was that NORAD and USNORTHCOM officials used CARES Act funds for information technology projects that were unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic response. [...] (U) CARES Act guidance--issued by the Office of Management and Budget, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), and Department of the Air Force--requires that Air Force, and NORAD and USNORTHCOM officials use CARES Act funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Office of Management and Budget, and Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) guidance, NORAD and USNORTHCOM officials must maintain evidence for goods and services acquired in response to COVID-19. The guidance further states that adequate evidence must include clear and accurate data of sufficient quality that articulates the need for the transaction. According to the Air Force guidance, Air Force officials will validate NORAD and USNORTHCOM expenses prior to reimbursement. (U) We selected and reviewed a nonstatistical sample of 25 COVID-19 transactions, totaling $61.0 million, from a population of 497 transactions, valued at $66.4 million. For the selected transactions, NORAD and USNORTHCOM officials used CARES Act funds to increase information technology equipment and support, and DoD operations."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2022-05-17
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COVID States Project: A 50-State COVID-19 Survey, Report #87: Parent Information Sources and Children COVID Vaccination
From the Document: "The path to FDA authorization for vaccines in young children has been complex. On February 1, 2022 Pfizer and BioNTech [hyperlink] responded to requests from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to seek emergency authorization of their COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccine for children ages 6 months through 4 years on a rolling basis. This authorization would have allowed children to begin receiving the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine while data comparing two or three course vaccine regimens for children were still being collected. However, on February 11, 2022 [hyperlink] the FDA reversed course and announced it would wait for data on the effectiveness of the third dose before granting emergency authorization. Most recently, Moderna [hyperlink] announced it was seeking authorization for its vaccine for children under 6 and the FDA [hyperlink] has laid out a timeline for examining the authorization requests and data in June. [...] In light of this confusion, it is important to understand where parents are getting information about vaccinating their children against COVID-19. In this report we examine where parents are seeking information about their children's health and vaccination decision-making, as well as who they discuss these important decisions with. We gathered this information by asking parents to select which sources they use from a list, as well as from an open-ended response question. We find that there is quite a bit of overlap in sources between these two methods."
Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.); Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy; Harvard Medical School . . .
Pippert, Caroline; Trujillo, Kristin Lunz; Safarpour, Alauna . . .
2022-05-17
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Taxing Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits: Federal- and State-Level Tax Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic [May 16, 2022]
From the Introduction: "Congress enacted several temporary, now-expired Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits for workers unemployed due to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic and the resulting disruption of the economy and labor market. [...] The COVID-19 UI benefits authorized from March 2020 through September 2021 provided higher levels of income replacement than UI benefits paid during 2019. Benefits often exceeded previous weekly wages. For some individuals, higher UI benefit payments raised concerns about higher-than-anticipated federal income tax liabilities. Some states did not provide federal income tax withholding opportunities for certain types of COVID-19 UI benefits, further contributing to this concern. This report provides information on the federal taxation of UI benefits, including federal income tax withholding requirements related to the now-expired COVID-19 UI benefits. The report also discusses the federal income tax exclusion authorized for UI payments in 2020, which allowed taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $150,000 to exclude up to $10,200 in UI benefits from 2020 taxable income. It also provides information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on the amounts of UI benefits that were taxed in 2019 as well as program data on the percentage of all UI benefits that was withheld for the payment of federal income taxes in 2019 through 2021. Finally, the report summarizes state income tax treatment of UI benefits, including whether a state offers to withhold state income taxes from UI benefits, the state's withholding rate, and whether the state matched the temporary federal tax exclusion on up to $10,200 of UI benefits in 2020."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2022-05-16
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Changes in Parental Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccination and Routine Childhood Vaccination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey Study
From the Abstract: "It was reported that one in four parents were hesitant about vaccinating their children in China. Previous studies have revealed a declining trend in the vaccine willingness rate in China. There is a need to monitor the level of parental vaccine hesitancy toward routine childhood vaccination and hesitancy toward the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccine during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [...] This study aims to assess changes in trends of parental attitudes toward routine childhood vaccines and COVID-19 vaccinations across different time periods in China. [...] Three waves of cross-sectional surveys were conducted on parents residing in Wuxi City in Jiangsu Province, China from September to October 2020, February to March 2021, and May to June 2021. Participants were recruited from immunization clinics." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e33235].
JMIR Publications
Wang, Qiang; Xiu, Shixin; Yang, Liuqing . . .
2022-05-13
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 312, COVID-19 Safer Detention Act of 2021
From the Document: "'The bill would'[:] [1] Allow federal prisoners sentenced before November 1, 1987, to apply for compassionate release[;] [and 2] Shorten certain elderly prisoners' sentences by applying credits for good conduct time to eligibility for early release[.] 'Estimated budgetary effects would mainly stem from'[:] [1] Reductions in discretionary spending by the federal Bureau of Prisons because some prisoners would be released earlier than under current law[;] [and 2] Increases in direct spending for health care, Social Security, and other federal benefits[.] 'Areas of significant uncertainty include'[:] [1] Projecting the number of elderly incarcerated prisoners and the number who would be eligible for release from prison[;] [2] Projecting whether prisoners would be confined in residential reentry centers or at home, and the difference in costs between those options compared with confinement in federal prisons[;] [and 3] Estimating the number of offenders released under the act who would receive federal benefits[.]"
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-05-12
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Factors Associated With COVID-19 Death in the United States: Cohort Study
From the Abstract: "Since the initial COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] cases were identified in the United States in February 2020, the United States has experienced a high incidence of the disease. Understanding the risk factors for severe outcomes identifies the most vulnerable populations and helps in decision-making. [...] This study aims to assess the factors associated with COVID-19-related deaths from a large, national, individual-level data set. [...] This is one of the largest national cohort studies in the United States; we identified several patient characteristics associated with COVID-19-related deaths, and the results can serve as the basis for policy making. The study also offered directions for future studies, including the effect of other socioeconomic factors on the increased risk for minority groups." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/5/e29343].
JMIR Publications
Chen, Uan-I; Xu, Hua; Krause, Trudy Millard . . .
2022-05-12
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COVID-19 State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report 25 (February 22 - March 14, 2022)
From the Document: "By rapidly reviewing and analyzing numerous sources and inputs [...], the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report emphasizes major themes influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake. These are characterized by the level and type of threat to vaccine confidence, degree of spread, and directionality. In addition, by examining how consumers think and feel, social processes, and the practical issues around vaccination, the Insights Report seeks to identify emerging issues of misinformation, disinformation, and places where intervention efforts can improve vaccine confidence across the United States. The information in this report is only a snapshot, and certain populations may be underrepresented. Images and quotes are illustrative examples and are not meant to comprehensively cover all content related to the highlighted themes." A major theme from this Insights Report involves "Consumers and news outlets expressed their frustration and lack of trust in CDC." Some "Continuing and Evolving Themes" include: "Consumers expressed pandemic fatigue and stated they would no longer practice prevention and mitigation strategies"; "The public continues to have questions and concerns about pediatric COVID-19 vaccines while others eagerly await Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for children under 5 years old"; "Consumers continue to have questions and concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccine"; and "Consumers continue to discuss their support or opposition to COVID-19 boosters."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-05-12
