NIH expands Clinical Trials to Test Convalescent Plasma against COVID-19

National Institutes of Health expands Clinical Trials to Test Convalescent Plasma against COVID-19 | site |


Rigorous studies to build on earlier efforts to test the experimental treatment


(September 22, 2020) - - Today the National Institutes of Health published the following information: Two randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are expanding enrollment to further evaluate convalescent plasma as a treatment for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Preliminary observational studies indicate that convalescent plasma may improve outcomes among severely ill and hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Prospective, well-controlled randomized trials are needed to generate sufficient data on whether convalescent plasma is effective and safe for the treatment of COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is blood plasma taken from people who have recovered from COVID-19. It contains antibodies that can recognize and ...

National Institutes of Health Funds Community Engagement Research Efforts in Areas Hardest Hit by COVID-19 | site |




(September 16, 2020) - - Today, September 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the following information:

The National Institutes of Health today announced a $12 million award for outreach and engagement efforts in ethnic and racial minority communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award to RTI International, a non-profit research institution, will support teams in 11 states established as part of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. These teams have received initial funding to immediately create CEAL programs, and RTI will serve as the Technical and Administrative Support and Coordination (TASC) center.

The CEAL research teams will focus on COVID-19 awareness and education research, especially among African Americans,...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Coronavirus COVID-19 Update - - Daily Roundup September 18, 2020 | site |



(September 18, 2020) - - Today, September 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published the following information:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continued to take action in the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• The FDA reissued the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Abbott ID Now COVID-19 test. The revisions to the previous EUA letter of authorization include a revised intended use to:
  • Indicate that testing is for specimens collected “from individuals who are suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider within the first seven days of the onset of symptoms.”
  • Clarify that testing is authorized for laboratories certified under CLIA and meet the requirements to perform high, moderate, or waived complexity tests.
  • Clarify that testing facilities within the United States and its territories

...

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup May 28, 2020| site |



(May 28, 2020) - - Today (May 28, 2020), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the following information:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the following actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• The FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Stryker Sustainability Solutions (SSS) VHP N95 Respirator Decontamination System (RDS). This product uses vapor hydrogen peroxide (VHP) to decontaminate compatible N95 respirators that are, or potentially are, contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 or other pathogenic microorganisms for multiple-user reuse by healthcare personnel to prevent exposure to pathogenic biological airborne particulates when there are insufficient supplies of face-filtering respirators (FFRs) resulting from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. N95 respirators containing cellulose-based materials

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Awards $15 Million to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Tribal Communities| site |



(May 28, 2020) - - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published (today) the following information: Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded $15 million to 52 Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, and other health services providers to Tribes across 20 states to prepare, prevent, and respond to COVID-19 in rural tribal communities. “President Trump stands with Tribal nations across the country as they grapple with COVID-19 in rural communities,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Today’s funding gives Tribes critical support to build up their capacity for fighting COVID-19, boost testing capabilities, increase purchases of PPE, and hire and pay the personnel they need.” These awards ...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates COVID-19 Transmission Webpage to Clarify Information about Types of Spread| site |



(May 22, 2020) - - Today (May 22, 2020), The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the following information:

CDC actively reviews our website to make sure the content is accessible and clear for all types of audiences. As a result of one such review, edits were made to the organization of the COVID-19 transmission page, including adding a headline in an attempt to clarify other types of spread beyond person to person. This change was intended to make it easier to read, and was not a result of any new science.

After media reports appeared that suggested a change in CDC’s view on transmissibility, it became clear that these edits were confusing. Therefore, we have once again edited the page to provide clarity. The primary and most important mode of transmission for COVID-19 is through ...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Provides Promised Transparency for Coronavirus COVID-19 Antibody Tests| site |



(May 21, 2020) - - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published today (May 21, 2020) the following information:

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted a list of antibody tests that are being removed from the “notification list” of tests being offered under the Policy for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Tests During the Public Health Emergency. Antibody tests on this new removal list include those voluntarily withdrawn from the notification list by the test’s commercial manufacturer and those for which there is not a pending Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) request or issued EUA. FDA expects that the tests on the removal list will not be marketed or distributed. Antibody tests offered by commercial manufacturers as outlined under the policy, which was issued on March 16 and updated on May 4, continue to be located on...

Federal Communications Commission Approves Seventh Set of COVID-19 Telehealth Program Applications | site |


Commission Continues Approving Telehealth Funding During Coronavirus Pandemic, Surpasses $50 Million in Total Funding


(May 20, 2020) - - Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published the following information: WASHINGTON, May 20, 2020—The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau today approved an additional 43 funding applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Health care providers in both urban and rural areas of the country will use this $16.87 million in funding to provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was authorized by the CARES Act, has approved funding for 132 health care providers in 33 states plus Washington, DC for a total of just over $50 million in funding. Below is a list of health care providers that wer...

Newsweek Article suggests that Coronavirus COVID-19 may have been Created with aid of U.S. Dollars | site |



Article says China lab received millions of U.S. Dollars for bat disease research


April 30, 2020 - - The publication Newsweek suggested in an April 28, 2020 article that the Coronavirus COVID-19 may have been created in a China lab in which the research was partially funded by millions of U.S. Dollars.

The article, titled, "Dr. Fauci Backed Controversial Wuhan Lab with Millions of U.S. Dollars" is located online at https://www.newsweek.com/dr-fauci-ba...search-1500741

or

Please press HERE...

U.S. Department of Education’s COVID-19 Conference Call with Higher Education Stakeholders | site |




(March 31, 2020) - - Today, the U.S. Department of Education published the following information:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, along with several senior Department officials, held a conference call today with higher education leaders to provide an update on the Trump Administration’s whole-of-government response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) national emergency. The Secretary began the call by welcoming the participants, including state higher education executive officers, college and university presidents, accreditors, and leaders of national higher education organizations, and thanking them for their continued work on behalf of students. The Secretary then briefed the group on the Department’s quick action to provide regulatory flexibility so that colleges and universities could move classes online to limit...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Expedites Review of Diagnostic Tests to Combat COVID-19 | site |




(March 30, 2020) - - Today (March 30, 2020), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the following information:

March 30, 2020

Statement From:

Commissioner of Food and Drugs - Food and Drug Administration

Stephen M. Hahn M.D.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been providing unprecedented flexibility to labs and manufacturers to develop and offer COVID-19 tests across the U.S. The FDA’s regulations have not hindered or been a roadblock to the rollout of tests during this pandemic. Every action the FDA has taken during this public health emergency to address the COVID-19 pandemic has balanced the urgent need to make diagnostic tests available with providing a level of oversight that ensures accurate tests are being deployed. Moreover, as in previous...

U.S. Health and Human Services accepts Donations of Medicine to Strategic National Stockpile as Possible Treatments for COVID-19 Patients | site |




FDA issues emergency use authorization for donated hydroxychloroquine sulfate, chloroquine phosphate


(March 29, 2020) - - Today (March 29, 2020), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the following information:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today accepted 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate donated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, and one million doses of chloroquine phosphate donated by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, for possible use in treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19 or for use in clinical trials. These and other companies may donate additional doses, and companies have ramped up production to provide additional supplies of the medication to the commercial market. “President Trump is ta...

HHS Provides $100 Million to Help U.S. Healthcare Systems Prepare For COVID-19 Patients | site |




(March 24, 2020) - - Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the following information:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (HHS ASPR) today announced it will provide $100 million to aid U.S. healthcare systems in preparing quickly for a surge in COVID-19 patients. The support will directly benefit the National Special Pathogen System, and is authorized in the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act 2020. "We cannot beat the COVID-19 pandemic without getting America's healthcare workers the training and resources they need to respond to this novel threat, and these funds secured from Congress by President Trump will help make that happen," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "America's healthcare providers are doing a...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Awards $100 Million to Health Centers for COVID-19 Response | site |




(March 24, 2020) - - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published (today) the following information: Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded $100 million to 1,381 health centers across the country with funding provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. HRSA-funded health centers may use the awards to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies and boost telehealth capacity in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. On Friday, March 6, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, which provides $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies to respond to the COVID...

Readout of the U.S. Department of Education's COVID-19 Conference Call with K-12 Stakeholders | site |




(March 20, 2020) - - Today (March 20, 2020), the U.S. Department of Education published the following information:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education and other federal partners held a conference call today with K-12 education leaders representing all 50 states and two territories to discuss the Administration's whole-of-government response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Those who attended the call included representatives from the National Association of State Boards of Education, National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, and elected officials, among many others. During the discussion, subject matter experts answered questions about the process for approval of statewide testing waivers, meal delivery for students during school closures, lengths of school closures due to the outbreak, r...