The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, August 24.

Provider Relief Fund:  A Reminder

• The deadline to apply for General Distribution Phase 2 Provider Relief Funds for Medicaid, CHIP, dental, and certain Medicare providers is this Friday, August 28.  Entities that received payments from the initial $30 million distribution and the subsequent $20 million distribution are eligible to apply for additional funding if those payments do not equal at least two percent of their annual net patient revenue.  Go here for information about eligibility and how to apply.​

Department of Health and Human Services

• HHS has posted a notice that the FDA must permit the use of certain types of laboratory-developed tests, including diagnostic tests for COVID-19, without the agency’s review and approval of those tests’ efficacy.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• CMS has issued an informational bulletin on Medicare reimbursement strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in nursing facilities. See CMS’s news release about the informational bulletin here and go here to see the bulletin itself.

Food and Drug Administration

• The FDA has issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the use of convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19.
• The FDA has issued an EUA for a commercial system that decontaminates compatible N95 respirators for single-user reuse.
• The FDA has posted information to help facilities choose the respirators best-suited to meet their individual institutional needs. In addition, the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted the results of its assessment of the filtration capabilities of international respiratory protective devices that NIOSH has not approved.  See that study here.
• The FDA has published a notice explaining the increased risk to patients and providers of the use of passive protective barrier enclosures without negative pressure. See that analysis here.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has updated its guidance on the appropriate use of COVID-19 diagnostic and antigen testing.
• The CDC has updated its interim guidance on infection prevention and control for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in outpatient hemodialysis facilities.