Featured
Senators urge Trump administration to develop national COVID vaccine plan
A group of U.S. Senators recently demanded that the Trump administration take immediate action to remedy the COVID-19 vaccine distribution failures. Specifically, the 43 senators are calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to develop and implement a national vaccine plan.... Read More »
International health and humanitarian organizations join to create global Ebola vaccine stockpile
The International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision is creating a global stockpile of the single-dose Merck and Sharp & Dohme Corp. Ebola vaccine to guarantee response capabilities for any outbreak, with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The stockpile was deemed... Read More »
Moderna launches three development programs for HIV, Nipah and seasonal flu vaccines
Moderna, Inc. will expand its vaccine efforts with three new development programs targeting mRNA vaccines for HIV, Nipah, and four seasonal flu viruses. The company also intends to expand its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine program to older adults. This is thanks to the... Read More »
Damage to communications grid in Nashville bombing prompts questions of preparedness
The violent suicide bombing that rocked downtown Nashville, Tenn., on Christmas morning and devastated dozens of businesses in the area also exposed the difficulties with an American reliance on reactive, rather than proactive, emergency planning efforts. While much focus has been placed on... Read More »
HHS establishes temporary COVID-19 treatment center in Tucson
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Tucson Medical Center (TMC) began administering monoclonal antibody therapeutic treatments last week. The treatments were given at a temporary COVID-19 infusion center in Tucson. It is just the second federally supported infusion center... Read More »
NIH director: COVID-19 herd immunity requires more vaccinated Americans
At least 80 percent to 85 percent of Americans should receive the COVID-19 vaccine for the country to reach herd immunity, said National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins in a Jan. 6 interview with the Washington Post. “Herd immunity requires the majority of a population to be... Read More »
CDC to provide $22B in support for expanded response efforts to COVID-19 pandemic
Before Jan. 19, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release more than $22 billion in funding to support states, localities, and territories grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic through a mix of expanded testing and vaccination distribution efforts. "This funding is... Read More »
National Security Council launches task force to investigate Solar Winds cyberattack
The National Security Council staff has launched a task force to coordinate the investigation and remediation of the recent Solar Winds cyberattack involving federal government networks. The task force -- called the Cyber Unified Coordination Group (UCG) -- is composed of representatives from... Read More »
Reps. Spanberger, Katko introduce bill to better prepare for pandemics, other threats
U.S. Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and John Katko (R-NY) introduced a bill to enhance the nation’s readiness to prepare for and respond to public safety and national security threats – including pandemics. Their bill -- the Analyzing Disaster Vulnerabilities and Applicable National... Read More »
Reps. Fitzpatrick, Gottheimer introduce bill to restrict online terrorism
U.S. Reps Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill requiring the regular disclosure of the presence of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations on social media websites. Further, the bill, the Online Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R.9043), would impose financial and... Read More »
Phase 3 clinical trial data confirms efficacy of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
A peer-reviewed report chronicling the phase three trial data of mRNA-1273, Moderna, Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, was released in the New England Journal of Medicine last week and confirmed its 94.1 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19. Distribution of the vaccine has already begun in the... Read More »
Colorado State Lab confirms first case of UK COVID-19 variant in United States
The first U.S. case of a new strain of COVID-19 that originated in the U.K. has been confirmed in Colorado’s Elbert County, according to the Colorado State Laboratory. The variant has cropped up in numerous locations throughout the world since its recent discovery -- and rapid spread -- in the... Read More »
Bill to help local governments thwart cyberthreats signed into law
A provision to encourage local governments to adopt the .gov domain for websites and email accounts was signed into law as a part of the year-end omnibus funding bill. The provision was originally introduced as the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act. It directs the Department of Homeland of... Read More »
University of Colorado researchers developing new compound to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a chemical compound capable of working with natural bodily processes to break through antibiotic resistant bacteria and have published the results in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Although attentions for many scientists have... Read More »
Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act would broaden free access to coronavirus testing
Under the Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act, introduced this week by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the federal government would be required to manufacture and expand the number of institutions to which it distributes diagnostic tests to increase access to free COVID-19 testing. Based... Read More »
U.S. to purchase additional 100M doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, pursue new Merck therapeutic
The federal government announced Wednesday that it would purchase an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered next year. Coordinated through the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD), Pfizer will have to meet several... Read More »
More than $107M awarded by NIH in broad effort to find radical COVID-19 testing, surveillance ideas
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded more than $107 million to support new, non-traditional means of plugging gaps in COVID-19 testing and surveillance, as well as to develop platforms for future outbreaks. The awards were given under a program... Read More »
Congress passes $900B COVID-19 relief package, including $73B for HHS federal response efforts
Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Monday, which includes legislation that will provide more than $73 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for federal response efforts. While much attention has been put on the $600 direct stimulus payment and $300 per... Read More »
House Services Committee leaders urge sound cybersecurity policy following hack
The House Armed Services Committee leaders are sounding the alarm for the need for a sound cybersecurity policy following the breach of the SolarWinds breach that has impacted several federal agencies. SolarWinds is a provider of IT infrastructure management software, which is used by several... Read More »
DARPA, JPEO-CBRND funds target COVID-19 treatment development
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) have earmarked $37.6 million for COVID-19 treatment development. A research team representing scientists from The Wistar Institute,... Read More »
Reps. Gabbard, Massie sponsor bill to repeal Patriot Act, FISA amendments
U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a bill that would repeal the USA Patriot Act and amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to remove provisions that they say undermine civil liberties. The bill, the Protect Our Civil Liberties Act (H.R.8970),... Read More »
CDC will award $227M for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, tracking
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award $140 million for COVID-19 vaccine preparedness, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced. The CDC will also award almost $87 million for tracking and testing to 64 jurisdictions, including all 50 states and... Read More »
Democrats criticize Trump administration following reports of declined additional COVID-19 vaccine doses
Although distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has begun in the United States, Democrats are criticizing reports that the White House failed to pre-order more doses of the vaccine when it had the opportunity and are pressing for more transparent pandemic planning. News broke last week in... Read More »
NDAA includes bill to create Cybersecurity State Coordinators in every state
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report, which passed in the U.S. Senate, includes establishing a Cybersecurity State Coordinator position in every state. The bill would provide each state with a federally funded Cybersecurity Coordinator, responsible for preventing... Read More »
Pandemic Supplies Production Act proposes to nationalize production, distribution of essential supplies for COVID-19
U.S. Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) recently introduced the Pandemic Supplies Production Act designed to nationalize the production and distribution of supplies deemed essential to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. “As we fight through this second surge of COVID-19, we need to... Read More »
FDA expects authorization of first COVID-19 vaccine soon, following advisory committee recommendation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to quickly authorize the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, following an advisory committee's recommendations. That committee voted 17 to 4 in favor of approval. Once emergency use authorization (EUA) is granted, the... Read More »
CEPI to provide up to $10 million for clinical studies of SK bioscience COVID-19 vaccine
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will provide up to $10 million for the cost of a phase 1/2 study and materials manufacturing for a recombinant protein vaccine candidate (GBP510) created by South Korea-based SK bioscience. This vaccine is meant for use against... Read More »
States urge congressional funding for COVID-19 vaccine education
Top executives of FedEx and UPS assured Congress Thursday their firms have been preparing for months and are ready to transport hundreds of millions of doses of the fledgling COVID-19 vaccines, the first of which is expected to be approved by federal regulators as soon as Thursday. “We’ve... Read More »
CARB-X wins prestigious award for efforts to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria
CARB-X, or Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, recently won an award from the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) for its progress in expanding the pipeline of innovative products to address antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The 2020 Innovating for Impact Partnership Award honors an... Read More »
Successful U.S. mass vaccination campaign requires targeted preparedness, experts say
With Americans on the cusp of receiving the first doses of COVID-19 vaccinations, experts from across the public health system on Wednesday recommended specific preparedness actions be taken to ensure that the vaccines will be distributed with the most equity and effectiveness. “There have... Read More »
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine found to be safe, effective in Lancet-published study
According to research published this week in The Lancet journal, the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222 is safe and effective at preventing the disease, as well as protecting against illness and death. No severe cases and no hospitalizations were required more than 21 days after the... Read More »
Congressional Service Report study looks at challenges with PPE supply, demand
The demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has continued to increase while supply has been limited by rapid consumption and supply chain disruptions, according to a new study by the Congressional Research Service. The Congressional Research Service report – called COVID-19 and... Read More »
FDA approves use of Quest Diagnostic test as first combo COVID-19, flu test using at-home samples
The latest test to be authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) represents a major milestone amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: the first combination test capable of detecting both COVID-19 and influenza A and B using samples collected at home. “With just one swab or sample,... Read More »
Malicious actors targeting COVID-19 vaccine cold chain, new IBM report says
According to a new report by IBM Security X-Force, malicious cyber actors are targeting the COVID-19 cold chain, an integral part of delivering and storing a vaccine at safe temperatures. Cyber attackers, posing as officials from biomedical companies, are sending phishing emails to executives... Read More »