Government
In a system severely taxed by the COVID-19 pandemic, hoarding of health and medical supplies has become a serious concern, and a new Executive Order, to be enforced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is now in effect to tackle that concern.
“Today, we designated a set... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is conducting research to better understand the COVID-19 coronavirus and prevent its spread.
Currently, there is only limited information available about the virus. Researchers at the National Biodefense Analysis... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced a bill Wednesday to address the shortage of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical supplies.
The Medical Supply Chain Emergency Act would require the president to use the authority invoked under the Defense Production Act to produce... Read More »
BAE Systems has secured a $339 million contract modification from the Army to address long-term readiness and modernization needs of the M109 self-propelled howitzer program.
The scope of work would include the production of 48 vehicle sets of M109A7 Self-propelled Howitzer (SPH) and its... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided instructions to manufacturers importing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices to increase supplies to support the COVID-19 response.
The instructions clarify the types of PPE that can be imported without engaging with the... Read More »
Professional services and technologies firm KBR has secured a $26.8 million task order to provide additional Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) cybersecurity engineering support.
The agreement aids the AFLCMC’s Engineering Directorate Cyber Systems Engineering Division in... Read More »
A bipartisan group of lawmakers said they are seeking bolstered legislative support for first responders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) joined Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Peter King (R-NY), Mike Bost (R-IL), and over 100 of their... Read More »
The U.S. government has reached collaboration agreements with three more companies in the ongoing effort to create rapid COVID-19 diagnostic tests and fill the divide between demand and supply.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is involved in all three cases. It... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced this week that $100 million would be given to U.S. healthcare systems to help handle a continuing surge in COVID-19 patients at nationwide hospitals.
The $100... Read More »
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has formed partnerships with the manufacturing and biotech industries to increase the state's supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to battle the coronavirus.
The partnerships with the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) and the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) is seeking more information from Trump administration officials on the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical equipment and supplies available in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).
The Federal Emergency Management... Read More »
Heads of various medical and infectious disease associations called on President Donald Trump to swiftly invoke the Defense Production Act and use it to force private industry to meet the current demands for medical supply and equipment production.
As one, the presidents and chairs of the... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to launch an education-packed website in the days ahead to train high-risk occupations still working amidst the outbreak of COVID-19.
The training is meant to help workers, such as hospital employees, food processing and delivery workers,... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Patty Murray (D-WA) are calling on the Trump Administration to report to Congress on the federal government’s COVID-19 response.
Specifically, they are seeking information about nationwide testing capacity, hospital bed space, personal protective equipment... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will provide additional support for the development of Kevzara as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
Kevzara -- developed under a collaboration between Regeneron and Sanofi... Read More »
A bipartisan group of senators recently baked a measure they said strengthens the nation’s supply chain.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Strengthening America’s Supply Chain and National Security Act as a means of building off the plan he released last month to address the nation’s... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently urged President Donald Trump to immediately implement all Defense Production Act (DPA) powers to expedite the production of needed materials during the coronavirus emergency.
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) recently joined 18 of their... Read More »
A joint effort between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD) last week yielded 500,000 swabs and sample kits for COVID-19 testing that otherwise would have been stranded in Italy.
The supplies, produced by the Italian company Copan Diagnostics,... Read More »
A new diagnostic developed by Cepheid gained advanced development support from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) this week, pledging potential COVID-19 testing times of just 45 minutes.
Developed for use on another Cepheid product, the GeneXpert diagnostic... Read More »
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Friday two guidelines regarding the temporary manufacturing of certain alcohol-based hand sanitizer products in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are aware of significant supply disruptions for alcohol-based hand sanitizers,” FDA... Read More »
A group of legislators introduced last week legislation designed to increase healthcare access while expediting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatments approved in other countries.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), and Mike Braun (R-IN)... Read More »
While the preparations for COVID-19’s rapid spread through the United States have been widely noted as lacking, public health experts now are calling for public health officials -- not healthcare providers or politicians -- to take charge of the crisis and guide both the response to it and... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the drug chloroquine to be tested as a potential COVID-19 treatment, as part of ongoing efforts to find countermeasures, but the data does not say whether it will work yet, experts warn.
Chloroquine, a malaria, lupus and arthritis... Read More »
A delegation of federal lawmakers representing the state of Washington is seeking a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMMS) national emergency waiver to aid in addressing COVID-19.
The Senate and House of Representatives members have forwarded correspondence to CMMS Administrator Seema... Read More »
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein recently provided insight into the branch’s COVID-19 protection efforts while also focusing on mission fulfillment and obligations.
Goldfein indicated as of March 18, there have been seven confirmed coronavirus cases among active-duty personnel,... Read More »
In the expanding efforts to find a solution to testing efforts against COVID-19, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has provided $561,330 to Mesa Biotech, Inc. for development of a new diagnostic test.
This funding -- along with technical expertise -- will help... Read More »
The USNS Comfort, a U.S. Navy ship, will be deployed to New York harbor to serve as a 1,000-bed hospital ship that will be used to treat coronavirus patients.
The ship, due to arrive in April, will also have 12 fully-equipped operating rooms and increase New York's hospital surge... Read More »
The measures announced by the Trump administration to control the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus have been endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and its HIV Medicine Association.
IDSA officials said an “all-sector, all-society response” is essential to reducing... Read More »
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is urging President Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) as a means of accelerating COVID-19 national response, supply production and readiness.
“In the midst of a pandemic, state and local governments should not be left on their own scrambling to... Read More »
Senate lawmakers are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to galvanize Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of the Interior (DOI) efforts to enhance rural COVID-19 response coordination.
Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) joined 22 other legislators in... Read More »
Looking for solutions to the nationwide shortages of coronavirus testing, despite the ongoing pandemic, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) proposed legislation this week that would make testing free and rapidly distributed both to communities and health care providers.
Calling on both the Trump... Read More »
Federal legislators are urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take all the necessary steps to ensure there are no disruptions to our nation’s food supply chain during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“We encourage you to use all of your available authorities to... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed into law the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which is designed to help secure America’s telecommunications supply chain.
The enactment of the bill was applauded by its sponsors, Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Greg Walden (R-OR), Doris Matsui... Read More »
Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Lou Correa (D-CA) are urging Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to delay the Oct. 1, 2020, REAL ID Act implementation deadline.
The three legislators encouraged the delayed action, citing the impact of COVID-19, the limited... Read More »
A Senate decision to go on recess amid the novel coronavirus outbreak has drawn the ire of House members, several of which have called on their legislative counterparts to immediately vote on the Families First Coronavirus Act (H.R. 6201).
That act was voted through the House last week and has... Read More »
