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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 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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, 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has introduced a bill that encourages medical manufacturers to keep their manufacturing operations in the United States.
The Mobilize America to Manufacture Equipment Required for Independence from Communist Adversaries Act (Mobilize AMERICA Act) would provide an... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has made the necessary preparations for the immediate mass shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine once they are ready to go.
The Department of Transportation has been working with Operation Warp Speed officials over the past few weeks to coordinate with... Read More »
Public trust must be maintained in preparing for and responding to another large-scale biological event like the ongoing novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a former Trump administration emergency management expert told the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense on Monday.
Tom Bossert,... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made several recommendations related to the COVID-19 pandemic to increase transparency and accountability among federal agencies.
The GAO report outlined that the United States has had more than 10 million cumulative cases of COVID-19 and... Read More »
A group of Democratic U.S. senators recently urged Congressional leaders to provide funding to ensure the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
With the news of at least one COVID-19 vaccine could be available to be distributed before the end of the year, many state and local governments... Read More »
Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest global public health concerns and is projected to be so for the next three decades. In the United States alone, 2.8 million people contract an antibiotic-resistant infection, killing more than 35,000 people each year.
Approximately 15 percent of... Read More »
From April through June 2020, New York City hospitals were overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, and now, a working group of 15 hospital intensive care unit directors and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security have reported on the successes and failures of that time.
“Crisis Standards of... Read More »
Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracies to defraud the United States and violate the anti-kickback statute.
In a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney General’s office said the pharmaceutical company pleaded guilty... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to allocate initial doses of Regeneron’s COVID-19 antibody therapeutic, casirivimab and imdevimab.
The treatments received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 21 for treatment of... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) criticized the Trump administration for what he calls its lack of action against foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea, that have launched cyber-attacks against American hospitals and research institutions in an attempt to steal information... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a pilot program for COVID-19 test kits that provide rapid results.
The pilot program for these portable, cartridge-based COVID-19 molecular test kits will be done in five states, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, Texas, and... Read More »
As the world moves closer to one or more potential COVID-19 vaccines, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has formed a collaborative effort to monitor the emergence of new COVID-19 viral strains and evaluate any impacts they may have on those candidates.
Other coalition... Read More »
Federal lawmakers from Oregon are requesting financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help offset the costs of fighting the wildfires.
Specifically, they are asking FEMA to assume 100 percent of the cost share for debris removal and emergency protective... Read More »
According to the Center for American Progress, an independent thinktank, violent crime rates dropped in 10 jurisdictions that enacted comprehensive police reform.
The group analyzed violent crime rates in 10 jurisdictions where the police department fulfilled a reform agreement with the U.S.... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced that approximately $43 million in funding will be made available for New York City’s Office of Management and Budget to cover COVID-19 related expenses.
Specifically, this funding covers the cost of enhanced protective... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with large chain pharmacies and networks of independent pharmacies and regional chains to maximize access to COVID-19 vaccines.
This effort will cover approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the... Read More »
While Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan implemented aggressive testing strategies and infrastructure during the early spread of SARS-CoV-2, the United States failed to develop and distribute reliable diagnostic tests when the pandemic initially hit the country, according to a new report.
This... Read More »
