Coronavirus update for May 19, 2020 as of 2:30 p.m.
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS has updated its FAQ for the distribution of CARES Act money through the Provider Relief Fund on three occasions in the past two weeks. Go here to see the changes, which are identified within the document.- HHS is providing $11 billion in new funding to support COVID-19 testing to states, territories, and tribes. States must submit to HHS their projected month-to-month testing plans and capabilities for the rest of calendar year 2020.
HHS has updated its FAQ for the distribution of CARES Act money through the Provider Relief Fund on three occasions in the past two weeks. Go Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS issued recommendations on the safe reopening of nursing homes. See CMS’s announcement, the recommendations, and an FAQ.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The CDC updated its interim infection prevention and control recommendations for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- The CDC has updated its advice on strategies for optimizing the supply of personal protective equipment.
Food and Drug Administration
- The FDA published guidance on the implementation of acceptable full-length and abbreviated donor history questionnaires and accompanying materials for use in screening donors of source plasma.
- On Wednesday, May 20, the FDA will hold a virtual town hall meeting for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers that are developing or have developed COVID-19 diagnostic tests to answer technical questions about the development and validation of such tests. The FDA will hold another such town hall next Wednesday, May 27.
National Institutes of Health
The NIH has launched a multi-pronged study to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic during and after pregnancy. The study will be conducted by researchers in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, a group of 12 U.S. clinical centers funded in part by the NIH.
The NIH has Federal Funding Opportunities for Hospitals
- NASH has prepared a document that collects and presents in one place the various new federal funding opportunities for hospitals resulting from legislation addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency. Find that document here.
(To receive this daily update directly, sign up for our mailing list at info@safetynetalliance.org.)
