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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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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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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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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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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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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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Veterans Health Administration Needs to Do More to Promote Emotional Well-Being Supports Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review to assess how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) addressed the emotional well-being of employees during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The OIG also conducted an overview of VHA programs, including what specialized programs, if any, were developed and deployed in response to the unique psychological challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic for VHA's staff. Mental health needs generally surge during and after disasters, including pandemics. In March 2020, after declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, the World Health Organization highlighted the importance of maintaining the mental health and emotional well-being of healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. On March 23, 2020, the VHA Office of Emergency Management issued the initial COVID-19 Response Plan with its four-phase approach and a second, updated version on August 7, 2020. The August 2020 response plan update included language allowing VHA to delegate responsibility to program offices to develop resources for response plan strategies. With that delegated authority, the National Center for Organization Development created and maintained resources for leaders and the VHA Organizational Health Council created and maintained across multiple program offices. The OIG initiated the review on November 30, 2020, and conducted virtual interviews with VA and VHA leaders in multiple offices. The OIG developed a series of survey questions about VHA guidance regarding employees' emotional well-being during the pandemic, available resources, monitoring of available support programs, and employee engagement with available support programs."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2022-05-10
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Lessons Learned from DHS' Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Initiative
From the Document: "In advance of Federal approval for emergency use of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, DHS prepared to coordinate employee vaccinations by tasking its components to identify eligible personnel in health care and frontline occupations in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. DHS acted swiftly to identify employees in vaccination priority groups, but provided minimal guidance to components, resulting in inconsistent responses across the Department as to which types of employees were deemed eligible. DHS only partially committed staff resources and delayed establishing a comprehensive, full-time task force to manage the effort. Also, at times, DHS' communications to its employees were inconsistent or unclear, causing confusion among some employees. DHS successfully vaccinated some employees, but missing and erroneous personnel data in DHS systems used to facilitate vaccinations contributed to DHS falling short of reaching its vaccination goals. This report identifies areas of consideration for DHS to better prepare for future emergencies and pandemics. We make one recommendation to improve DHS' ability to identify essential employees, when necessary, in future emergency situations. Also, DHS should consider improving its preparedness by developing incident response protocols that include a plan for establishing and staffing an incident response team. To foster trust among its workforce, DHS should strive to communicate directly and consistently with personnel during future initiatives. Finally, DHS should consider devising and implementing a methodology for conducting oversight of employee data."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2022-05-10
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 06, 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: "Geographic Differences in Sex-Specific Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Mortality Rate Trends Among Adults Aged ≥25 Years -- United States, 1999-2019"; "Use of a Modified Preexposure Prophylaxis Vaccination Schedule to Prevent
Human Rabies: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices -- United States, 2022"; "West Nile Virus and Other Domestic Nationally Notifiable Arboviral Diseases -- United States, 2020"; "Effectiveness of a COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Additional Primary or Booster Vaccine Dose in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection Among Nursing Home Residents During Widespread Circulation of the Omicron Variant -- United States, February 14-March 27, 2022"; and "Acute Hepatitis and Adenovirus Infection Among Children -- Alabama, October 2021-February 2022." 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.)
2022-05-06
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Pandemic Learning: Technical Materials for Teacher Survey and Discussion Groups with Public K-12 School Principals, Teachers, and Parents
From the Background: "This electronic supplement serves as a companion to GAO-22-104487 [hyperlink], 'Pandemic Learning: As Students Struggled to Learn, Teachers Reported Few Strategies as Particularly Helpful to Mitigate Learning Loss', as well as two forthcoming reports on pandemic learning. This supplement presents technical information about our two methodologies--a nationwide survey of K-12 public school teachers and discussion groups with educators and parents--as well as a reproduction of the survey instrument and survey results in aggregate form." GAO-22-104487, "Pandemic Learning: As Students Struggled to Learn, Teachers Reported Few Strategies as Particularly Helpful to Mitigate Learning Loss," can be accessed at the following link: [https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=867219].
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05-06?
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19 [Updated May 4, 2022]
From the Document: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having widespread economic, social, and political effects on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). As of May 3, 2022, the region had nearly 1.7 million deaths (over 27% of deaths worldwide). Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina had the region's highest numbers of deaths. Looking at deaths per 100,000 people, Peru had the highest recorded COVID-19 mortality rate in the region, followed by Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago[.]" This document discusses economic impact, political impact, and U.S. policy considerations.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Meyer, Peter J.; Sullivan, Mark P.
2022-05-04
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Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending [Updated May 3, 2022]
From the Summary: "This report provides selected sources for tracking COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] relief and assistance spending. It contains links to and information on government sources detailing spending amounts at various levels, including consolidated spending by multiple government agencies, spending by individual government agencies, and spending for specific recipients and geographies. The sources themselves are large government databases, individual agencies, oversight entities, and selected nongovernmental entities that attempt to repackage information on spending amounts obtained from available government sources."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Kreiser, Maria
2022-05-03
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Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Mistrust in Black Americans: Recommendations for Vaccine Dissemination and Uptake
From the Document: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccination rates among Black Americans have been lower than White Americans and are disproportionate to their population size and COVID-19 impact. This study examined reasons for low vaccination intentions and preferred strategies to promote COVID-19 vaccination. [...] Between November 2020 and March 2021, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 participants who expressed low vaccination intentions in a RAND American Life Panel survey; we also interviewed five stakeholders who represent organizations or subgroups in Black communities that have been highly affected by COVID-19. [...] Many interviewees discussed the 'wait-and-see' approach, citing that more time and evidence for vaccine side effects and efficacy are needed. Perceived barriers to COVID-19 vaccination included structural barriers to access (e.g., transportation, technology) and medical mistrust (e.g., towards the vaccines themselves, the government, healthcare providers and healthcare systems, and pharmaceutical companies) stemming from historical and contemporary systematic racism against Black communities. Interviewees also discussed strategies to promote COVID-19 vaccines, including acknowledging systemic racism as the root cause for mistrust, preferred messaging content (e.g., transparent messages about side effects), modes, and access points (e.g., a variety of medical and non-medical sites), and trusted information sources (e.g., trusted leaders, Black doctors and researchers)."
PLoS ONE
Dong, Lu; Bogart, Laura M.; Gandhi, Priya . . .
2022-05-03
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Pandemic Learning: As Students Struggled to Learn, Teachers Reported Few Strategies as Particularly Helpful to Mitigate Learning Loss, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic disrupted learning for millions of students, educators, and families who had to navigate modified in-person and virtual schooling, often in difficult circumstances. The pandemic's effects continue to reverberate across the nation and produce challenges for schools that will likely be felt for years to come. In many respects, the 2020-21 school year offered useful insights that may help schools, educators, and parents in the future. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing COVID-19 monitoring and oversight efforts. GAO also conducted this work in response to a provision in the conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2021. This report, which is the first in a series of reports, examines (1) obstacles to learning during school year 2020- 21, and (2) strategies to mitigate learning loss. GAO examines these topics overall, by grade level, and by instructional model (in-person, virtual, or hybrid)."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Coronavirus Vaccine Manufacturing Failures of Emergent Biosolutions
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report was prepared for Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, following an investigation into the Trump Administration's award of a multimillion-dollar contract to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. (Emergent) to manufacture coronavirus vaccines despite a history of serious deficiencies. The report includes the following key findings: 'Nearly 400 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been destroyed as a result of Emergent's failure to meet or maintain quality standards.' [...] 'Emergent executives promoted the company's manufacturing capabilities despite being warned of severe deficiencies.' [...] 'FDA, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca identified multiple deficiencies at Bayview, which Emergent failed to remediate despite urgent warnings.' [...] 'Inexperienced staff and high staff turnover contributed to vaccine contamination.' [...] 'HHS terminated its contract with Emergent because the company failed to follow federal manufacturing standards.'"
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
Maloney, Carolyn; Clyburn, James E.
2022-05
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'Now to Get Rid of Those Pesky Health Departments!' How the Trump Administration Helped the Meatpacking Industry Block Pandemic Worker Protections
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report presents findings from an investigation conducted by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis into the meatpacking industry's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Select Subcommittee launched this investigation following reports that meatpacking companies refused to take adequate coronavirus precautions to protect their workers during the first year of the pandemic, resulting in mass illness and death. Last year, the Select Subcommittee found that during the first year of the pandemic, infections and deaths among workers for five of the largest meatpacking companies--Tyson Foods, Inc. (Tyson), JBS USA Holdings, Inc. (JBS), Smithfield Foods (Smithfield), Cargill, Inc. (Cargill), and National Beef Packing Company LLC (National Beef)--were significantly higher than previously estimated, with over 59,000 workers for these companies being infected with the coronavirus and at least 269 dying. Internal meatpacking industry documents reviewed by the Select Subcommittee now illustrate that despite awareness of the high risks of coronavirus spread in their plants, meatpacking companies engaged in a concerted effort with Trump Administration political officials to insulate themselves from coronavirus-related oversight, to force workers to continue working in dangerous conditions, and to shield themselves from legal liability for any resulting worker illness or death."
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
2022-05
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COVID-19: FDA Took Steps to Help Make Tests Available, Policy for Future Public Health Emergencies Needed, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] is critical to tracking the virus, informing treatment, and suppressing transmission. However, because COVID-19 is caused by a novel virus, no test existed at the beginning of the pandemic. Typically, medical devices, such as diagnostic tests, must be approved or cleared by FDA [Food and Drug Administration] before they can be offered. However, FDA's EUA [emergency use authorization] authority requires a lower level of evidence than the effectiveness standard normally required for FDA product approval; therefore, it can help tests become available in a shorter amount of time. Test developers submit EUA requests to FDA that include data on a test's performance, and FDA reviews the data to determine whether to grant an EUA. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review FDA's oversight of tests for COVID-19. This report examines, among other things, 1) the actions FDA took to help make COVID-19 tests available for use, 2) the number of tests FDA authorized and those for which it exercised enforcement discretion, and 3) FDA's monitoring of these tests after they were available for use. GAO reviewed agency documentation, and interviewed FDA and associations that represent test developers. [...] GAO recommends that FDA develop a policy for the use of enforcement discretion regarding unauthorized tests in future public health emergencies. This policy should include the conditions under which FDA would begin and end the use of such discretion. The Department of Health and Human Services concurred with our recommendation."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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COVID-19: IRS Implemented Tax Relief for Employers Quickly, but Could Strengthen Its Compliance Efforts, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic resulted in significant challenges to the U.S. economy, leading to business closures. The employment tax relief measures Congress passed to help businesses affected by the pandemic were estimated to result in about $237.8 billion in foregone revenue for fiscal years 2021-2031. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes IRS [Internal Revenue Service]'s efforts in implementing the employment tax provisions. The report also evaluates IRS's plans and actions to identify compliance risks for the provisions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Communicating Public Health Guidance to Cases and Contacts: Recommendations for COVID-19 Case Investigators and Contact Tracers
From the Introduction: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has devastated communities both in the United States and abroad. The fear, uncertainty, and trauma caused by the pandemic also affect how individuals interpret public health messages. It is important for case investigators and contact tracers to understand how this stress affects a person's ability to understand public health messages, and to tailor their communications accordingly. This brief outlines actions that case investigators and contact tracers may take to communicate effectively."
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.)
2022-05
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Tailoring Messages for Cross-Cultural Communication: Recommendations for COVID-19 Case Investigators and Contact Tracers
From the Introduction: "Case investigators and contact tracers must understand and adapt to the culture of people with COVID 19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and their close contacts to conduct effective interviews and follow-up. 'Culture' refers to the learned and shared behavior of a community of people who interact with one another. A person's culture may be influenced by a several factors, including those listed in the image below. Culture helps shape a person's values, relationships, and understanding of the world around them. For example, some cultures may have different attitudes or beliefs about COVID-19 transmission, vaccination or treatment Culturp may affect a person's willingness to identify close contacts or provide a description of those contacts. It may also affect how person understands and communicates their symptoms, or influence their beliefs about authority figures, healthcare professionals, and public health."
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.)
2022-05
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Fund for Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness
From the Background: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] crisis has served as a painful demonstration that no country is fully prepared for a pandemic and that the existing global health architecture remains ill-equipped to finance pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR). The rationale for preventing and containing pandemics is self-evident: the price of preparedness is a fraction of the cost of responding to catastrophic outbreaks, both in terms of human and economic well-being. In the aftermath of the 2003 SARS [Severe acute respiratory syndrome] outbreak, 2009 H1N1 [influenza A virus subtype] pandemic, and the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, experts called for scaling up sustainable financing to ensure the world was better prepared to face that next global health threat. But even amid efforts to better understand and measure preparedness gaps, little action was taken to mobilize financing and incentivize investments in strengthening detection, prevention, and response capabilities. As global health threats evolve, countries' capacity to prepare for and respond to disease outbreaks is increasingly a global imperative. Now is the time to take concrete steps toward establishing sustained financing for pandemic PPR to help bring an end to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, combat future health security threats, and break the costly cycle of neglect."
Center for Global Development
Glassman, Amanda, 1970-; Smitham, Eleni; Collinson, Erin
2022-05
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Impact of COVID-19 on the Rural Health Care Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities
From the Executive Summary: "Before the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic began, hospital closures were increasing in rural communities across the nation: 116 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2019. Over the past two years, federal relief has helped stabilize facilities, and the pace of closures slowed. However, this assistance was temporary, and rural hospitals continue to struggle financially and to recruit and retain nurses and other health care employees. Against this backdrop, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) conducted a series of interviews over the last year with rural hospital leaders from eight states-- Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming--as well as with health policy experts from federal and state government, national organizations, provider organizations, and academia. The goal was to gain on-the-ground insights into today's rural health care landscape, where the population is older, sicker, and less likely to be insured or seek preventive services than in urban areas."
Bipartisan Policy Center
2022-05
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Public Health's Use of Digital Tools During COVID-19
From the Document: "This brief describes decision-making amongst health agency leaders and their informatics staff as they selected and implemented digital resources to support COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic response. We also describe 'ASTHO's [Association of State and Territorial Health Officials] COVID-19 Technology & Digital Tools Inventory' as a supplement health agency leaders used in decision-making."
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.)
2022-05
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 29, 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: "Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization -- United States, 2017-2019"; "Public Health Actions to Control Measles Among Afghan Evacuees During Operation Allies Welcome -- United States, September-November 2021"; "Provisional Mortality Data -- United States, 2021"; "Provisional COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Age-Adjusted Death Rates, by Race and Ethnicity -- United States, 2020-2021"; "Seroprevalence of Infection-Induced SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Antibodies -- United States, September 2021-February 2022"; "Notes from the Field: Response to Measles Among Persons Evacuated from Afghanistan -- Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, New Jersey, August-October 2021"; and "QuickStats: Percentage of Currently Employed Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Had Paid Sick Leave Benefits at Last Week's Job or Business, by Region -- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019 and 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.)
2022-04-29
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Long COVID: Over 200 Symptoms, and a Search for Guidance
From the Document: "Long COVID [coronavirus disease] poses a conundrum for physicians and researchers alike. Representing a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems that arise about a month after initial infection, it can affect 20% to 30% of patients after recovery from even mild illnesses and about half of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] patients who required hospitalization. More than 200 symptoms associate with long COVID, but no universal clinical case definition exists. Long-haulers often don't know what to do about their lingering symptoms, which can include fatigue, shortness of breath, memory impediments, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Many different organ systems are involved, said Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, professor of immunobiology at Yale University and a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute."
American Medical Association
Lubell, Jennifer
2022-04-29
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Living with Covid Doesn't Mean Ignoring it
From the Introduction: "Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis have together created a volatile environment of widespread economic anxiety; people are rightly worried about the future. This, combined with a lack of appetite to bolster investment in our world-class testing and sequencing systems, has seen Covid move from a health to an economic problem. The government has put in place many of the right measures in its response to Covid, most notably the world-leading vaccination programme that has saved over 100,000 lives. However, over the past two years the overall response to the pandemic has been dogged by a repeated lack of clear, quick strategic planning, and is again in limbo without a comprehensive plan to manage the next phase safely. Management of Covid now relies largely on repeat vaccinations, while the main tools at our disposal - tests and treatments - are being scaled back. This is a vaccines-only rather than vaccines-'plus' approach."
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Bradshaw, Adam; Browne, James; Dowlen, Henry . . .
2022-04-29
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Analysis of Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US
From the Introduction: "In the US, more than 500 000 deaths were directly attributable to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] in the first year of the pandemic. The pandemic and the concomitant public health response profoundly affected nearly every aspect of people's lives. The impacts on health and well-being of work and school closures and other social distancing measures are only starting to be quantified, and emerging evidence suggests that pandemic restrictions may have had substantial detrimental effects on population mental health. Worsening economic conditions, psychological strain, and trauma associated with the pandemic, combined with an increase in firearm sales, could potentially increase the risk of firearm violence in association with the pandemic, thus exacerbating another major public health crisis in the US. [...] [W]e sought to quantify the change in firearm violence associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by examining nearly 300 000 firearm-related incidents occurring between January 1, 2016, and February 28, 2021, across all 50 US states and the District of Columbia."
JAMA Network
Sun, Shengzhi; Cao, Wangnan; Ge, Yang . . .
2022-04-28
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Recession Remedies: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Economic Policy Response to COVID-19
From the Webpage: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic posed an extraordinary threat to lives and livelihoods. In the United States, the pandemic triggered a sharp downturn. Yet, the ensuing economic recovery was faster and stronger than nearly any forecaster anticipated due in part to the swift, aggressive, sustained, and creative response of U.S. fiscal and monetary policy. But when the next recession arrives, it most likely won't be triggered by a pandemic. Recession Remedies examines and evaluates the breadth of the economic-policy response to COVID-19. Chapters address unemployment insurance, Economic Impact Payments, loans and grants to businesses, assistance to renters and mortgage holders, aid to state and local governments, policies that targeted children, Federal Reserve policy, and the use of nontraditional data to monitor the economy and guide policy. These chapters provide evidence and lessons to apply to the next recession."
Brookings Institution
Edelberg, Wendy; Sheiner, Louise; Wessel, David
2022-04-27
