Tag archives: WHO

COVID-19 Update: New Variants and Vaccine Research

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Hannah Putnam (US) on February 11, 2022 Posted in Coronavirus, General

During a recent Q&A, a representative with the World Health Organization warned that the Omicron variant is not the last of its kind. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove explained that the next variant is likely to be more transmissible and could be more deadly than any of the previous variants. Although receiving the COVID-19 vaccine remains … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: New CDC Guidance About the Omicron Variant

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Hannah Putnam (US) on December 15, 2021 Posted in Coronavirus, General, Regulatory

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

COVID-19 Update: Omicron- The New Variant of the Coronavirus

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Hannah Putnam (US) on November 29, 2021 Posted in Coronavirus, General

On Friday, November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) reported a new variant of COVID-19, the Omicron variant, was detected in South Africa. There is no indication the new variant is more contagious or more lethal, or that it is resistant to the COVID-19 vaccine. The WHO did report, however, that the Omicron variant … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Approved for Teens

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on May 11, 2021 Posted in Coronavirus, General

On May 10, 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced that the Pfizer-BioNTech Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) would be expanded to include children ages 12-15. Previously, the vaccine had been approved for individuals 16 and older. The press release stated that between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 there were approximately 1.5 … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: World Health Organization Warns of Dangerous Phase

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on June 22, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General, International

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

COVID-19 Update: The Joint Commission to Resume Hospital Surveys

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on June 10, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General, Regulatory

The Joint Commission (TJC) is resuming regular surveys and reviews after suspending them at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety will be “the first and foremost priority” as surveys and reviews are resumed and the survey’s will “assess the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on their operations and their current state.” The surveys … Continue reading

COVID-19 update: WHO urges cautions on immunity passports

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on April 27, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

As countries around the world seek creative policy solutions to permit the opening of their economies, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) released a Scientific Brief on April 24, 2020 finding that “[t]here is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.” The WHO is … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: Coronavirus Designated a Pandemic by WHO

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on March 11, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

On Wednesday the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries climb even higher.” In a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee Dr. … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: CMS Releases Guidance for Hospitals and Nursing Homes

By Yvonne Puig (US), Thomas Dowdell (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on March 5, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

On Wednesday March 4, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released three guidance documents for health care providers relating to the coronavirus. Worldwide there have been 96,888 confirmed cases, resulting in 3,305 fatalities, including 11 deaths in the United States. In a press release, CMS stated that the actions taken were “focused … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: US Expands Travel Restrictions After First Fatality

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on March 2, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General

On Saturday, the State of Washington announced the first fatality in the United States arising from the coronavirus, with a second announced on Sunday. Washington Governor Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency. As of Monday March 2, 2020, there were 89,197 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and 3,048 resulting deaths. U.S. Secretary … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: Death Toll Surpasses 2,000

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on February 21, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General, International

As of Thursday February 20, 2020, there have been more than 75,000 known coronavirus infections and over 2,000 deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there have been fifteen confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, and there have been no deaths reported. Deaths from the coronavirus have occurred in China, Iran, … Continue reading

COVID-19 Update: Over 60,000 Confirmed Cases

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on February 14, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General, International

Earlier this week the WHO announced that COVID-19 would be the name for the disease caused by the coronavirus. On Wednesday, China announced 14,840 new cases of the coronavirus after changing the way cases are confirmed to include where a test was negative but other methods such as symptoms and x-rays show evidence of the … Continue reading

Coronavirus Update: More Than 40,000 Cases Confirmed

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on February 10, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General, News from DC

As of Monday morning, the Chinese National Health Commission announced a total of 40,171 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus with 908 related deaths, surpassing the totals of the SARS epidemic of 2002. There have now been more than 300 cases confirmed outside of China, including 12 in the United States. On Saturday, it was announced … Continue reading

WHO Deems Coronavirus Global Health Emergency and White House Announces Task Force

By Yvonne Puig (US), Daphne Calderon (US) and Jeff Wurzburg (US) on January 31, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, General, International, News from DC

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a global health emergency. The coronavirus has now been identified in 18 countries and has infected 9,709 people. 213 people have died from the coronavirus. Countries are beginning to evacuate citizens from China and the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and New … Continue reading