On April 19, 2022, a federal district court in Florida determined the federal mask mandate from the Biden Administration was unlawful and therefore void. The mandate required patrons to wear a mask on public transportation, like airplanes, trains, and buses. The federal judge presiding over the case determined the mandate exceeded statutory authority created under … Continue reading
Yesterday, March 29, 2022, the CDC launched a new calculator designed to help individuals exposed to COVID-19 discern how many days of quarantine and/or isolation are necessary. This tool was created in order to aid in the prevention of spreading the virus. Users are first prompted to select whether they have tested positive for COVID-19 … Continue reading
Since its first detection, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been reported in numerous countries worldwide and in most of the United States. It is likely more transmissible than the other variants of COVID-19 and has officially surpassed the Delta variant contraction rates. As of December 25, 2021, the CDC reported the Omicron variant represents … Continue reading
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) reported that the Omicron variant has been detected in all but sixteen of the United States. The Delta variant continues to be the main variant circulating in the United States, however. The World Health Organization (“WHO”) reported on December 14, 2021, that seventy-seven countries have reported cases … Continue reading
On October 1, 2021, the CDC issued its weekly “Morbidity and Mortality” report and noted according to a July 1 – September 4, 2021 study that “[s]chool mask requirements, in combination with other prevention strategies, including COVID-19 vaccination, are critical to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools.” The study analyzed “differences between county-level pediatric … Continue reading
On September 23, 2021, a panel of experts from the CDC, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (“ACIP”), recommended that three categories of people should receive a COVID-19 booster shot: (1) those aged 65 and older; (2) those in long-term care residencies; and (3) those over 18 with underlying medical conditions. ACIP members voted unanimously … Continue reading
On July 27, 2021, Dr. Rochelle Walenksy updated the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (“CDC”) recommendation regarding mask use for vaccinated individuals in a Media Telebriefing concerning COVID-19. At the time of this writing, the transcript is not yet available on the CDC’s media announcements. During the update, Dr. Walensky explained the … Continue reading
On Friday, July 9, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) released new guidelines for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The CDC updated its guidelines to “provide safe and supportive learning environments for students.” It recognized that outbreaks of COVID-19 have occurred in schools; however, it indicated that multiple studies show that … Continue reading
On May 13, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) released an update that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear a mask in most settings. The update continues the trend of public health authorities relaxing previous guidelines for individuals that have received a COVID-19 vaccine. See Health Law Pulse posts … Continue reading
On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC) unveiled updated guidelines detailing activities that vaccinated people can safely resume. The guidelines continue the trend of public health authorities relaxing previous guidelines for individuals that have received a COVID-19 vaccine. See Health Law Pulse posts here, here and here. After … Continue reading
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has updated its travel guidelines, advising that there is low risk for fully vaccinated individuals to travel domestically. The CDC further provides that for fully vaccinated individuals COVID-19 testing or a quarantine period is unnecessary following travel. When traveling internationally, the CDC states that testing is … Continue reading
On March 19, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) released updated guidelines for K-12 schools that is anticipated to facilitate the reopening of schools across the country. The CDC states that “[o]pening schools for in-person learning as safely and quickly as possible, and keeping them open, is important given the many … Continue reading
Ever since the U.S. declaration of a public health emergency on March 13, 2020, Americans have wondered what life would look like if and when a vaccine was developed. In December, the first vaccine was administered in the U.S. On March 8, 2021, the positive momentum accelerated when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and … Continue reading
The Biden Administration recently announced additional funding to increase genomic sequencing of COVID-19 to 25,000 samples a week. In a recent article in the Journal for the American Medical Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) Director Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases … Continue reading
Two recent updates in COVID-19 guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) demonstrate the challenges faced by public health officials to appreciate and incorporate the ever-changing science surrounding the global pandemic. New guidance from the CDC recommends wearing a cloth mask over a medical mask. The CDC’s guidelines recommend: Choosing a … Continue reading
On January 6, 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar renewed the Public Health Emergency declaration, effective January 21, 2021. In a tweet, Secretary Azar announced the renewal and stated that “[o]ur work to combat the virus will continue, as will our work to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.” The … Continue reading
Almost eleven months after the first confirmed coronavirus patient in the State of Washington (HL Pulse post here), the first dose of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the U.S. to a critical care nurse a little after 9:00 a.m. ET. This happened just three days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration … Continue reading
On December 2, 2020 the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (“MHRA”) announced approval of Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. According to a press release from the U.K. government: This was done using a regulatory process known as a ‘rolling review’. A ‘rolling review’ can be used to complete the assessment of a … Continue reading
On Friday November 20, Pfizer and BioNTech announced they would submit a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) seeking Emergency Use Authorization for their vaccine candidate. Earlier this week, the companies announced that at the completion of their Phase 3 trial, the vaccine was 95 percent effective. In addition to the effectiveness, … Continue reading
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) continues to update COVID-19 guidance as more information is known about how the coronavirus spreads. On October 21, 2020, the CDC made a significant update to the definition of “close contact”. Individuals that have spent 15 cumulative minutes within six feet of an infected individual during a 24-hour … Continue reading
This past week the United States surpassed the grim milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths and seven million cases of COVID-19. The spread of the virus has altered the way we work, live, and play around the world and will soon touch on one of the most treasured times of the year, the holiday season. The … Continue reading
On July 10, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would resume domestic on-site inspections beginning the week of July 20. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA suspended inspections of facilities in March “to help slow the spread of the virus and help flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.” To … Continue reading
In a special LabFocus The Joint Commission revealed they have resumed some laboratory survey activities. TJC stated that “[a]ccount executives are contacting organizations due for a survey to assess the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on their operations and their current state.” To determine which organizations will be surveyed, TJC is looking at “a … Continue reading
During a press conference on June 19, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “[t]he pandemic is accelerating” and that we are now in a “dangerous phase” where the virus is “spreading fast.” June 22, 2020 saw the largest single day spike in cases, with 183,020 new cases worldwide. In the … Continue reading