Coronavirus update for Friday, April 24 as of 4:00 p.m.

Attention:  Health Care Providers

HHS has extended until 3:00 p.m. (eastern) on Saturday, April 25 the deadline for providers to submit data that will be used to determine how it will allocate the $10 billion it will be distributing to providers hit especially hard by COVID-19.  Providers that have been targeted for possible assistance from this pool have already been notified of the need to submit data, although such notice does not assure funding.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• CMS has launched a COVID-19 partner toolkit that includes links to almost all activity involving the federal response to the COVID-19 crisis.
• CMS has launched a new toolkit to help states navigate COVID-19 health workforce issues.
• CMS has issued two new section 1135 waivers to states this week. Go here to see them and other 1135 waivers the agency has issued since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has posted a human infection with COVID-19 person under investigation and case report form.
• The CDC has posted a guide on the use of personal protective equipment when caring for COVID-19 patients.
• The CDC has posted updated guidance for different types of health care facilities dealing with COVID-19.
• The CDC has published clinical care guidance about COVID-19 for health care professionals.
• The CDC has posted information about assessing risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness.
• The CDC has posted guidance on water-borne transmission of COVID-19.
• The CDC has published interim guidance for public health and health care professionals managing people with COVID-19 in home care and isolation who have pets or other animals.
• The CDC has shared conventional, contingency, and crisis strategies for the use of elastomeric respirators.

Food and Drug Administration

• The FDA has published guidance on its enforcement policy for imaging systems during the COVID-19 emergency.
• The FDA has unveiled its enforcement policy for remote digital pathology devices during the COVID-19 emergency.
• The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a specific commercial device for use to treat lung failure when used as an adjunct to non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation.
• The FDA has issued an EUA for a specific commercial blood purification system, including for use in continuous renal replacement therapy.

National Institutes of Health

• The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has shared its plan for accelerating research to diagnose, prevent, and treat COVID-19.

The White House

• Alabama, Alaska, and Delaware have been added to the list of states that the federal government has authorized to use the National Guard to assist with their COVID-19 response, with 100 percent of the cost of this assistance paid by the federal government.

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