The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16.

Department of Health and Human Services

• HHS has announced new staff appointments.  They are:

Office of the Secretary
Sean McCluskie, Chief of Staff
Anne Reid, Deputy Chief of Staff
Dawn O’Connell, Senior Counselor, COVID Response
Sarah Despres, Counselor for Public Health and Science
Kristin Avery, White House Liaison
Kathryn Alvarez, Deputy Chief of Staff, COVID Response
Perrie Briskin, Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff
David Kessler, Chief Science Officer, COVID Response
Shannon Myricks, Deputy White House Liaison
Esmeralda Orozco, Special Assistant for Scheduling
AJ Pearlman, Chief of Staff, COVID Response
Clare Pierce-Wrobel, Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff
Kashif Syed, Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary
Lizeth Zardeneta, Executive Assistant and Briefing Book Coordinator

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Josh Peck, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Engagement
Ian Sams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (COVID Response)
Kirsten Allen, National Press Secretary (COVID Response)
Zachary Dembner, Press Assistant
Sean Higgins, Press Secretary
Luisana Pérez Fernández, Press Secretary

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation
Kimberly Espinosa, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation
Kelsey Mellette, Special Assistant

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
Ben Sommers, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
Kacey Wulff, Chief of Staff

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration
Thomas Berry, Special Assistant

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Max Lesko, Chief of Staff for the Surgeon General
Jessica Scruggs, Senior Advisor and Director of Scheduling and Advance for the Surgeon General

Office of the General Counsel
Lisa Barclay, Deputy General Counsel
Paul Rodriguez, Deputy General Counsel

Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs
Marvin Figueroa, Director
Yvanna Cancela, Principal Deputy Director
Destiny Gregg, Confidential Assistant

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Micky Tripathi, National Health Information Technology Coordinator
Jordan Hefcart, Special Assistant

Office of Global Affairs
Karoun Tcholakian, Special Assistant to the Director

Administration for Community Living
Alison Barkoff, Principal Deputy Administrator
Reyma McCoy McDeid, Commissioner of the Administration on Disabilities

Administration for Children and Families
Larry Handerhan, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor
Jose Garibay Medrano, Special Assistant for the Office of Refugee Resettlement
Lanikque Howard, Director of the Office of Community Services and Senior Advisor on Asset Building
Jenifer Smyers, Chief of Staff for the Office of Refugee Resettlement

Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services
Arielle Woronoff, Director of the Office of Legislation

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Sonia Chessen, Chief of Staff

Provider Relief Fund

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its list of recipients of Provider Relief Fund COVID-19 Nursing Home Quality Incentive Program payments.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• CMS has published information about the delivery of monoclonal antibodies as treatment for COVID-19 and how to code and bill for Medicare payments for this therapy.

HHS and CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls

HHS Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice

HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response sponsors COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice that are interactive virtual learning sessions that seek to create a peer-to-peer learning network in which clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes.  These webinar topics are covered every week:

• EMS:  Patient Care and Operations (Mondays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
• Critical Care:  Lifesaving Treatment and Clinical Operations (Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
• Emergency Department:  Patient Care and Clinical Operations (Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)

Go here for information about signing up to participate in the sessions and go here for access to materials and video recordings of past sessions.

CMS Stakeholder Calls

CMS hosts recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information about the agency’s response to COVID-19.  These sessions are open to members of the health care community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer participants an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls

Tuesday, February 23 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)

Toll Free Attendee Dial In:  833-614-0820; Access Passcode:  2528725

Audio Webcast link:  go here

Tuesday, March 16 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)

Toll Free Attendee Dial In:  833-614-0820; Access Passcode:  4177586

Audio Webcast link:  go here

Tuesday, April 6 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)

Toll Free Attendee Dial In:  833-614-0820; Access Passcode:  2769397

Audio Webcast link:  go here

Food and Drug Administration

• The FDA has revised its guidance on the use and collection of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19.  The guidance provides recommendations to blood establishments on the collection and labeling of high-titer COVID-19 convalescent plasma.  In addition, the revisions address when individuals who have received an investigational COVID-19 monoclonal therapy as a participant in a clinical trial, or received an authorized or licensed COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy, qualify as convalescent plasma donors.  Resources include:
  • the FDA announcement, with additional information
  • the FDA’s emergency use authorization letter
  • the FDA’s guidance document on investigational COVID-19 convalescent plasma

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has updated its data on COVID-19 variant cases in the U.S.
• The CDC has updated its FAQs about the clinical aspects of COVID-19.

• The CDC has updated its guidance on the clinical care of patients with COVID-19.
• The CDC has updated its advice on when people who have had COVID-19, have been around people who have COVID-19, or suspect they have had COVID-19 can safely be around other people again.  It also has updated its recommendations for the duration of isolation and precautions for severely immuno-compromised adults.
• The CDC has updated its information about COVID-19 for health care workers.
• The CDC has updated its interim guidance on testing health care workers for COVID-19.
• The CDC has updated its guidance for making decisions about returning to work for health care workers with COVID-19.

• The CDC has updated its guidance on assessing, monitoring, and limiting risk for those who work in health care facilities and are at risk of being exposed to COVID-19.
• The CDC has updated its interim guidelines for health care providers and local and state health departments on collecting, handling, and testing clinical specimens for COVID-19.
• The CDC has updated its guidance on when it is safe to discharge COVID-19 patients from the hospital.

• The CDC has updated its information about improving the fit and filtration of masks to protect against COVID-19.

• The CDC had updated its recommended strategies to mitigate health care worker staffing shortages as a result of COVID-19.

• The CDC has updated its information about the two currently available COVID-19 vaccines, including updated quarantine recommendations for people who have received vaccines and information for those administering vaccines about reporting vaccination errors, injection site reactions, and clarifications on contraindications and precautions.
• The CDC has updated its information to include in communications with essential health workers to encourage them to receive COVID-19 vaccines.  It also has updated its information for essential health workers and their employers about the importance of receiving COVID-19 vaccines.