Hospitals and health systems are relying on their telehealth platforms to treat patients amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the federal government losening restrictions surrounding
telehealth and also improving reimbursement, hospitals across the
country have bolstered their virtual technology. Cleveland Clinic
completed more than 60,000 telehealth visits in March, officials told Kaiser Health News.
Prior to the pandemic, Cleveland Clinic averaged 3,400 telehealth
visits a month. Approximately 75 percent of the virtual visits come from
patients worried they have contracted COVID-19. With the surge in
visits, Cleveland Clinic has waived patient copays.
Cleveland Clinic has also transitioned more physicians to its telehealth network after canceling elective surgeries.
New York City-based NYU Langone Health has also enhanced its virtual
platform as the system averages around 900 telehealth visits a day.
During these visits, 80 percent of which are patients suffering from a
cough and fever, physicians are recommending self-care, hydration and
self-isolation.
“The goal is to create a new front line for these patients rather
than have them rush into an urgent care or ER,” said Paul Testa, MD,
chief medical information officer, to Kaiser Health News.
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/telehealth/how-hospitals-are-responding-to-surge-in-telehealth-visits.html
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Donor programs to collect recovered COVID-19 patient plasma in 4 states
Blood donation programs are being launched in four states to collect
the plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, a company official told The Arizona Republic.
The blood donation company Vitalant is starting pilot programs in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Pennsylvania, Ralph Vassallo, the chief medical and scientific officer, told the Republic Monday.
Vitalant, which was formerly known as United Blood Services, is seeking recovered COVID-19 patients, who officially tested positive, to donate blood to investigate a potential treatment for the virus.
Currently the virus has no proven treatments, but plasma from past
patients has anecdotally been used to treat the novel coronavirus which
causes COVID-19 and other coronaviruses in the past, according to the
Arizona newspaper.
“Unfortunately, it’s kind of the only ray of hope at present until we identify some medications that have some promise,” Vassallo said.
The body develops antibodies to fight viruses, which can stay in the blood for some time and could be helpful in fighting the infection in another person. The collected plasma, which includes the liquid part of blood after removing blood cells and platelets, could hold these antibodies, which could be transferred to another patient.
The programs are seeking people who have recovered and who have been symptom-free for at least 14 days to donate blood for the treatment. The participants must have tested positive for COVID-19 previously but negative now.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designates this treatment as “investigational” and requires clinical trials to ensure its safety before the treatment can be used regularly. The FDA has permitted doctors to use the plasma treatment with an emergency investigational new drug application to the administration.
“Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be effective in COVID-19,” the FDA’s website said.
There is no testing currently widely available to determine if a person has already had the disease and has antibodies to fight it.
Plasma has previously been utilized to fight SARS, MERS and H1N1, the FDA reported.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/491559-blood-donation-programs-to-accept-plasma-from
The blood donation company Vitalant is starting pilot programs in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Pennsylvania, Ralph Vassallo, the chief medical and scientific officer, told the Republic Monday.
Vitalant, which was formerly known as United Blood Services, is seeking recovered COVID-19 patients, who officially tested positive, to donate blood to investigate a potential treatment for the virus.
“Unfortunately, it’s kind of the only ray of hope at present until we identify some medications that have some promise,” Vassallo said.
The body develops antibodies to fight viruses, which can stay in the blood for some time and could be helpful in fighting the infection in another person. The collected plasma, which includes the liquid part of blood after removing blood cells and platelets, could hold these antibodies, which could be transferred to another patient.
The programs are seeking people who have recovered and who have been symptom-free for at least 14 days to donate blood for the treatment. The participants must have tested positive for COVID-19 previously but negative now.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designates this treatment as “investigational” and requires clinical trials to ensure its safety before the treatment can be used regularly. The FDA has permitted doctors to use the plasma treatment with an emergency investigational new drug application to the administration.
“Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be effective in COVID-19,” the FDA’s website said.
There is no testing currently widely available to determine if a person has already had the disease and has antibodies to fight it.
Plasma has previously been utilized to fight SARS, MERS and H1N1, the FDA reported.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/491559-blood-donation-programs-to-accept-plasma-from
Will Coronavirus Cause Health Insurance Premiums to Soar?
In a widely cited article, the New York Times recently warned
that health “insurance premiums could spike as much as 40 percent next
year.” Such a scenario would clearly add an enormous burden to
businesses and individuals already struggling with hardship induced by
the coronavirus. But the assumed average cost of treating coronavirus
cases, on which the article was based, is highly inflated. In fact,
overall, healthcare spending will likely fall significantly over the
coming year, as the volume of other medical procedures falls
significantly.
The underlying report was written by the government agency responsible for regulating the Obamacare market in the state of California. It projected one-year nationwide costs from coronavirus to private insurance ranging from $34 billion to $251 billion – ranging from 2% to 21% of premiums. The eye-catching 40% figure came from the dubious inference that two years’ worth of insurance losses at the top end of projections would be entirely financed through one year of premium increases.
Most of this additional cost comes from the report’s $29 billion to $216 billion estimate of the total costs of treating coronavirus patients admitted to hospital – a figure which seems to be wildly inflated. It is based on the assumption that insurers will be required to pay an average of $72,000 per patient hospitalized, that 4 to 15 million would be infected, and that 10% to 20% would be hospitalized.
A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that, in 2018, privately insured patients hospitalized with pneumonia without complications were billed an average of $9,763; those with major complications and comorbidities, an average of $20,292; and those requiring ventilator support for over 96 hours (as is most often the case with coronavirus patients needing intensive care), an average of $88,114. A mid-March CDC study of COVID-19 cases in the United States found that 10% of those aged under 65 testing positive for COVID-19 were hospitalized, but that only 2% required admission to intensive care.
Taking a mid-range estimate of 1.2 million hospitalizations in the California study, which seems in line with other current projections, hospitalization costs could be expected to be around $35 billion, in addition to $8 billion estimated for outpatient services and $8 billion for testing. In total, this would add $51 billion to private insurance spending (which was $1,243 billion in 2018) – an increase of roughly 4%.
Such an increase would likely be more than offset by the effect of declining utilization of other medical services as people increasingly stay at home – reducing the number of traffic accidents, the transmission of other diseases, and the number of visits to doctors. Indeed, the decline in elective procedures undertaken has been dramatic. Bon Secours Mercy Health, which operates in seven states, estimated that it would suffer a $100 million decline in revenue. Similarly, a Kentucky hospital system, which saw a 30% decline in business, has furloughed 500 staff. The CEO of a Michigan hospital system has estimated that the crisis has caused it to cancel 80% of projected surgeries to free up capacity for COVID-19 patients and other emergency cases. He argued this would lead to a 20% to 40% drop in revenue.
At this point, therefore, it seems more likely that the coronavirus will cause health insurance premiums to fall rather than increase overall.
https://economics21.org/will-coronavirus-spike-health-insurance-premiums
The underlying report was written by the government agency responsible for regulating the Obamacare market in the state of California. It projected one-year nationwide costs from coronavirus to private insurance ranging from $34 billion to $251 billion – ranging from 2% to 21% of premiums. The eye-catching 40% figure came from the dubious inference that two years’ worth of insurance losses at the top end of projections would be entirely financed through one year of premium increases.
Most of this additional cost comes from the report’s $29 billion to $216 billion estimate of the total costs of treating coronavirus patients admitted to hospital – a figure which seems to be wildly inflated. It is based on the assumption that insurers will be required to pay an average of $72,000 per patient hospitalized, that 4 to 15 million would be infected, and that 10% to 20% would be hospitalized.
A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that, in 2018, privately insured patients hospitalized with pneumonia without complications were billed an average of $9,763; those with major complications and comorbidities, an average of $20,292; and those requiring ventilator support for over 96 hours (as is most often the case with coronavirus patients needing intensive care), an average of $88,114. A mid-March CDC study of COVID-19 cases in the United States found that 10% of those aged under 65 testing positive for COVID-19 were hospitalized, but that only 2% required admission to intensive care.
Taking a mid-range estimate of 1.2 million hospitalizations in the California study, which seems in line with other current projections, hospitalization costs could be expected to be around $35 billion, in addition to $8 billion estimated for outpatient services and $8 billion for testing. In total, this would add $51 billion to private insurance spending (which was $1,243 billion in 2018) – an increase of roughly 4%.
Such an increase would likely be more than offset by the effect of declining utilization of other medical services as people increasingly stay at home – reducing the number of traffic accidents, the transmission of other diseases, and the number of visits to doctors. Indeed, the decline in elective procedures undertaken has been dramatic. Bon Secours Mercy Health, which operates in seven states, estimated that it would suffer a $100 million decline in revenue. Similarly, a Kentucky hospital system, which saw a 30% decline in business, has furloughed 500 staff. The CEO of a Michigan hospital system has estimated that the crisis has caused it to cancel 80% of projected surgeries to free up capacity for COVID-19 patients and other emergency cases. He argued this would lead to a 20% to 40% drop in revenue.
At this point, therefore, it seems more likely that the coronavirus will cause health insurance premiums to fall rather than increase overall.
https://economics21.org/will-coronavirus-spike-health-insurance-premiums
COVID-19 Innovations in the U.S. Versus the Rest of the World
The United States leads the world in biotech innovation, but does it
also lead the world in the development of COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines
and therapeutics?
Based upon the number of clinical trials listed with ClinicalTrials.gov, the answer, so far, is “no.” But, if the number of potential solutions in development are considered, “no” may become “yes.”
Clinical Trials by the Numbers
In sheer numbers of therapeutic trials at all stages, China has the most, with 62. Europe has 53 and the U.S. has 32, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. Other countries or regions have only a handful. Canada, for example has 12, the Middle East has six, Southeast Asia has five, Australia has four, Africa and Mexico two each and India one. For some trials, locations were not listed. A total of 230 trials were reported.
When we look at vaccine trials, Europe leads with seven, followed by China with six and the U.S. with four. A total of 23 trials were reported. Of those, only one – in Wuhan, China – was active, and nine were recruiting.
In terms of clinical trials involving diagnostics tests, ClinicalTrials.gov reports 118. Europe leads with 36, followed by China with 25, and the U.S. with 19. Canada is in fourth position, with six.
The numbers of therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics in clinical trials don’t show the complete picture, though. Many biopharma companies and academic labs are actively engaged in the COVID-19 battle but are not yet ready for clinical trials.
United States
The FDA is working with more than 240 diagnostic test developers who have said they plan to submit emergency use authorization (EUA) requests.
As of April 2, the FDA had issued 25 EUAs, including one to Cellex to detect the presence of coronavirus antibodies. It is designed as an adjunct to laboratory results rather than as a definitive diagnostic. More than 125 labs now provide COVID-19 testing.
Currently, the FDA is allowing four developer-validated diagnostic tests to be distributed while awaiting FDA validation or issuance of an EUA. They are:
The FDA also is looking at new ways to bring efficacious products through the regulatory process faster. Initially, that meant using the emergency investigational new drug application (eIND) process. The agency also is expanding access to clinical trials to institutions, such as rural hospitals, that currently lack such access.
Europe
The EMA is working with the developers of approximately 40 therapeutics that may have potential against COVID-19. Some of the most promising candidates and their current authorized uses are:
• remdesivir (investigational)
• lopinavir/ritonavir (for HIV)
• chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (for malaria and autoimmune diseases)
• systemic interferons and, in particular interferon beta (for multiple sclerosis)
• monoclonal antibodies with activity against components of the immune system
The EMA also is talking with developers of a dozen or so potential COVID-19 vaccines, but cautions that it may take a year or more before a vaccine is ready for approval.
As of Friday, April 3, the EMA maintained, “There are currently no authorized vaccines or treatments in the EU to prevent or treat novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) specifically or any other coronaviruses.” Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, it instructed, were to be used only in clinical trials or emergency programs.
The EMA did, however, outline compassionate use recommendations for the investigational antiviral medicine remdesivir in the context of COVID-19. Laboratory studies indicate remdesivir, a viral RNA polymerase inhibitor, prevents SARS-CoV-1 and 2 (SARS and COVID-19) and MERS-CoV from replicating.
The United Kingdom
What the U.K. billed as “the world’s largest randomized clinical trial of potential coronavirus treatments,” was announced last Thursday, but actually began in mid-March. As part of the U.K.’s prioritization of COVID-19 research, some 1,000 patients from 132 hospitals were recruited in the first 15 days, and thousands more are joining the trials.
The trial tests:
This trial, called “Recovery” received £2.1 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation and the Department of Health and Social Care. It is part of a wider £20 million rapid research response investment by the government to identify ways to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. COVID-19 trials will be fast-tracked.
Additionally, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) is working with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the British government to coordinate manufacturing capacity and ideas to support the research, development and scale-up of life sciences sector responses to the pandemic.
China
China admits COVID-19 infections are continuing. April 3, the National Health Commission of the PRC reported, “31 new cases of confirmed infections, 12 new cases of suspected infections (all are imported cases), and 4 deaths (all in Hubei province)” based on data from China’s 31 providences and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The report cited 870 cases of “imported infections” and 60 asymptomatic cases (a new data point). It started the day with “81,620 reports of confirmed cases and 3,322 deaths.” Of those cases, 76,571 had been discharged from the hospital.
“China will overcome difficulties to give priority to restoring and raising the output of medicine and disease prevention materials, strengthen supervision over product quality, and provide more materials for the global fight against the disease,” China’s President, Xi Jinping, told Belgian King Philippe and Indonesian President Joko Widodo during an April 2 phone call.
That pledge to improve quality came after a Reuters report that Spain and Slovakia complained that results from diagnostic kits produced in China and supplied to 11 countries were inaccurate. Soon afterward, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) – formerly the China FDA – began requiring certification before medical products (including assays, kits, and masks) could be exported.
https://www.biospace.com/article/comparison-covid-19-innovations-in-the-u-s-versus-the-rest-of-the-world/
Based upon the number of clinical trials listed with ClinicalTrials.gov, the answer, so far, is “no.” But, if the number of potential solutions in development are considered, “no” may become “yes.”
Clinical Trials by the Numbers
In sheer numbers of therapeutic trials at all stages, China has the most, with 62. Europe has 53 and the U.S. has 32, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. Other countries or regions have only a handful. Canada, for example has 12, the Middle East has six, Southeast Asia has five, Australia has four, Africa and Mexico two each and India one. For some trials, locations were not listed. A total of 230 trials were reported.
When we look at vaccine trials, Europe leads with seven, followed by China with six and the U.S. with four. A total of 23 trials were reported. Of those, only one – in Wuhan, China – was active, and nine were recruiting.
In terms of clinical trials involving diagnostics tests, ClinicalTrials.gov reports 118. Europe leads with 36, followed by China with 25, and the U.S. with 19. Canada is in fourth position, with six.
The numbers of therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics in clinical trials don’t show the complete picture, though. Many biopharma companies and academic labs are actively engaged in the COVID-19 battle but are not yet ready for clinical trials.
United States
The FDA is working with more than 240 diagnostic test developers who have said they plan to submit emergency use authorization (EUA) requests.
As of April 2, the FDA had issued 25 EUAs, including one to Cellex to detect the presence of coronavirus antibodies. It is designed as an adjunct to laboratory results rather than as a definitive diagnostic. More than 125 labs now provide COVID-19 testing.
Currently, the FDA is allowing four developer-validated diagnostic tests to be distributed while awaiting FDA validation or issuance of an EUA. They are:
- BD BioGx SARS-CoV-2 Reagents for BD MAX System
- BGI Genomics Co. Ltd
- Co-Diagnostics, Inc.
- OSANG Healthcare Co., Ltd, GeneFinder COVID-19 Plus RealAmp Kit
The FDA also is looking at new ways to bring efficacious products through the regulatory process faster. Initially, that meant using the emergency investigational new drug application (eIND) process. The agency also is expanding access to clinical trials to institutions, such as rural hospitals, that currently lack such access.
Europe
The EMA is working with the developers of approximately 40 therapeutics that may have potential against COVID-19. Some of the most promising candidates and their current authorized uses are:
• remdesivir (investigational)
• lopinavir/ritonavir (for HIV)
• chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (for malaria and autoimmune diseases)
• systemic interferons and, in particular interferon beta (for multiple sclerosis)
• monoclonal antibodies with activity against components of the immune system
The EMA also is talking with developers of a dozen or so potential COVID-19 vaccines, but cautions that it may take a year or more before a vaccine is ready for approval.
As of Friday, April 3, the EMA maintained, “There are currently no authorized vaccines or treatments in the EU to prevent or treat novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) specifically or any other coronaviruses.” Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, it instructed, were to be used only in clinical trials or emergency programs.
The EMA did, however, outline compassionate use recommendations for the investigational antiviral medicine remdesivir in the context of COVID-19. Laboratory studies indicate remdesivir, a viral RNA polymerase inhibitor, prevents SARS-CoV-1 and 2 (SARS and COVID-19) and MERS-CoV from replicating.
The United Kingdom
What the U.K. billed as “the world’s largest randomized clinical trial of potential coronavirus treatments,” was announced last Thursday, but actually began in mid-March. As part of the U.K.’s prioritization of COVID-19 research, some 1,000 patients from 132 hospitals were recruited in the first 15 days, and thousands more are joining the trials.
The trial tests:
- lopinavir-litonavir, an HIV treatment
- dexamethasone, a steroid to reduce inflammation
- hydroxychloroquine, a malaria treatment
This trial, called “Recovery” received £2.1 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation and the Department of Health and Social Care. It is part of a wider £20 million rapid research response investment by the government to identify ways to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. COVID-19 trials will be fast-tracked.
Additionally, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) is working with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the British government to coordinate manufacturing capacity and ideas to support the research, development and scale-up of life sciences sector responses to the pandemic.
China
China admits COVID-19 infections are continuing. April 3, the National Health Commission of the PRC reported, “31 new cases of confirmed infections, 12 new cases of suspected infections (all are imported cases), and 4 deaths (all in Hubei province)” based on data from China’s 31 providences and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The report cited 870 cases of “imported infections” and 60 asymptomatic cases (a new data point). It started the day with “81,620 reports of confirmed cases and 3,322 deaths.” Of those cases, 76,571 had been discharged from the hospital.
“China will overcome difficulties to give priority to restoring and raising the output of medicine and disease prevention materials, strengthen supervision over product quality, and provide more materials for the global fight against the disease,” China’s President, Xi Jinping, told Belgian King Philippe and Indonesian President Joko Widodo during an April 2 phone call.
That pledge to improve quality came after a Reuters report that Spain and Slovakia complained that results from diagnostic kits produced in China and supplied to 11 countries were inaccurate. Soon afterward, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) – formerly the China FDA – began requiring certification before medical products (including assays, kits, and masks) could be exported.
https://www.biospace.com/article/comparison-covid-19-innovations-in-the-u-s-versus-the-rest-of-the-world/
A national COVID-19 surveillance system: Achieving containment
This report describes the features and capabilities of a national
surveillance system to mitigate the current COVID-19 pandemic wave and
to limit and suppress future outbreaks. Developing these capabilities in
each state and region will enable the U.S. to move beyond extreme and
disruptive physical isolation measures. The proposed COVID-19
surveillance system builds on existing models and principles of public
health surveillance, but recognizes that the transmissibility and
virulence of COVID-19 require a much more substantial capacity for rapid
detection and public health response.
Timely and efficient implementation of such a surveillance system will require ongoing coordination between health care providers and state and local public health authorities, with Federal support coordinated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to achieve effective implementation throughout the country as soon as possible, and certainly in time for the Fall, when COVID-19 may become a seasonal threat.
…At the same time that we confront the current crisis, we must plan for the future by putting in place tools to enhance our ability to conduct effective surveillance, containment, and case management. As incidence of COVID-19 declines, case-based interventions will again become an option. Building those capabilities now will enable us to move beyond the extreme and disruptive physical isolation measures in place across the United States.
Every region of the country should aim for the following outbreak surveillance and response capabilities:
1)Test and Trace Infrastructure: Capacity for Widespread Diagnostic Testing and DataSharing to Enable Rapid Case-Based Interventions
a)The capacity to conduct rapid diagnostic testingfor everyone with COVID-19 symptoms and those with exposures or at higher risk of contracting or transmitting the virus (health care workers, those in congregate settings), with a robust sentinel surveillance system that routinely monitors for infection among samples of the population to enable early identification of small outbreaks, particularly in vulnerable populations;
b)Routine, straightforward, and secure electronic data sharing to support surveillance;
2)Syndromic Surveillance: Integration of Test and Trace into an Enhanced National Syndromic Surveillance System
a)Surveillance based on syndromic indicators of spikes and falls in potential COVID-19 related symptoms, building on existing public health syndromic surveillance capabilities
b)Timely and transparent reporting of COVID-19 outbreaks and testing and response capacity atthe local level
3)Serologic Testing: Capacity to Conduct Widespread Serologic Testing to Identify Reliable Markers of Immunity
a)The development of regional measures of community exposure and immunity
b)The use and integration of accurate serologic testing of individuals for effective surveillance and containment
4)Rapid Response: Capacity for Isolation, Contact Tracing,and Quarantine
a)The capacity to isolate new cases and trace, test, and quarantine contacts rapidly
b)The capacity to treat new COVID-19 cases effectively, at home or in a hospital.
Download the full report
Timely and efficient implementation of such a surveillance system will require ongoing coordination between health care providers and state and local public health authorities, with Federal support coordinated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to achieve effective implementation throughout the country as soon as possible, and certainly in time for the Fall, when COVID-19 may become a seasonal threat.
…At the same time that we confront the current crisis, we must plan for the future by putting in place tools to enhance our ability to conduct effective surveillance, containment, and case management. As incidence of COVID-19 declines, case-based interventions will again become an option. Building those capabilities now will enable us to move beyond the extreme and disruptive physical isolation measures in place across the United States.
Every region of the country should aim for the following outbreak surveillance and response capabilities:
1)Test and Trace Infrastructure: Capacity for Widespread Diagnostic Testing and DataSharing to Enable Rapid Case-Based Interventions
a)The capacity to conduct rapid diagnostic testingfor everyone with COVID-19 symptoms and those with exposures or at higher risk of contracting or transmitting the virus (health care workers, those in congregate settings), with a robust sentinel surveillance system that routinely monitors for infection among samples of the population to enable early identification of small outbreaks, particularly in vulnerable populations;
b)Routine, straightforward, and secure electronic data sharing to support surveillance;
2)Syndromic Surveillance: Integration of Test and Trace into an Enhanced National Syndromic Surveillance System
a)Surveillance based on syndromic indicators of spikes and falls in potential COVID-19 related symptoms, building on existing public health syndromic surveillance capabilities
b)Timely and transparent reporting of COVID-19 outbreaks and testing and response capacity atthe local level
3)Serologic Testing: Capacity to Conduct Widespread Serologic Testing to Identify Reliable Markers of Immunity
a)The development of regional measures of community exposure and immunity
b)The use and integration of accurate serologic testing of individuals for effective surveillance and containment
4)Rapid Response: Capacity for Isolation, Contact Tracing,and Quarantine
a)The capacity to isolate new cases and trace, test, and quarantine contacts rapidly
b)The capacity to treat new COVID-19 cases effectively, at home or in a hospital.
Download the full report
A national COVID-19 surveillance system: Achieving containment
Federal agencies buy massive supply of hydroxychloroquine
Two federal agencies have placed orders for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine — using taxpayer money — even as debate rages over its effectiveness in fighting the coronavirus, according to a new report.
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Prisons have both reported purchases of the drug — which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus — since March 26, according to procurement records obtained by The Daily Beast.
Veterans Affairs purchased $168,000 in hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets from the Colorado-based generic drug distributor Golden State Medical Supply, and an additional $40,000 from the pharmaceutical company McKesson, according to the report.
Procurement records list both as “emergency” purchase orders to combat the coronavirus crisis.
The Bureau of Prisons bought $60,000 hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets from the company Premium Rx National on March 31 — and did not mention the deadly virus in its order, but the purchase comes as federal correctional facilities saw a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the report.
It appears to be the first time the agency has purchased the drug, the outlet reported.
Neither agency responded to questions from the outlet about whether or how their purchases would be used, either immediately or in the future, to treat coronavirus patients.
President Trump has touted the drug as a potential life-saver and promoted its use on an experimental basis, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has agreed to provide it to thousands of seriously ill patients in New York hospitals in combination with Zithromax.
But critics have balked at the idea of promoting the drug — citing limited or anecdotal evidence about its success.
And they warn the promotion of the drug could lead to a shortage of the medication for those who use it for other illnesses.
https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/federal-agencies-purchase-large-supply-of-hydroxychloroquine/
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Prisons have both reported purchases of the drug — which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus — since March 26, according to procurement records obtained by The Daily Beast.
Veterans Affairs purchased $168,000 in hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets from the Colorado-based generic drug distributor Golden State Medical Supply, and an additional $40,000 from the pharmaceutical company McKesson, according to the report.
Procurement records list both as “emergency” purchase orders to combat the coronavirus crisis.
The Bureau of Prisons bought $60,000 hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets from the company Premium Rx National on March 31 — and did not mention the deadly virus in its order, but the purchase comes as federal correctional facilities saw a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the report.
It appears to be the first time the agency has purchased the drug, the outlet reported.
Neither agency responded to questions from the outlet about whether or how their purchases would be used, either immediately or in the future, to treat coronavirus patients.
President Trump has touted the drug as a potential life-saver and promoted its use on an experimental basis, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has agreed to provide it to thousands of seriously ill patients in New York hospitals in combination with Zithromax.
But critics have balked at the idea of promoting the drug — citing limited or anecdotal evidence about its success.
And they warn the promotion of the drug could lead to a shortage of the medication for those who use it for other illnesses.
https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/federal-agencies-purchase-large-supply-of-hydroxychloroquine/
Surgeon General warns African-Americans at greater risk for coronavirus
US Surgeon General Jerome Adams had good and bad news Tuesday on the coronavirus pandemic, saying that initial death estimates could be too high but that African-Americans were at greater risk of contracting the potentially deadly illness.
“I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America,” Adams said on CBS “This Morning.”
“And I and many black Americans are at higher risk for COVID, which is why we need everyone to do their part to slow the spread.”
Adams explained that black Americans were more likely to have preexisting conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease and lack access to health care.
In Chicago, African Americans made up 68 percent of the city’s 118 deaths and 52 percent of the roughly 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, despite making up just 30 percent of the city’s population, The Chicago Tribune reported, citing data from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Those numbers take your breath away,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the paper on Monday. “This is a call to action for all of us.”
Those numbers demonstrate the importance of social distancing, he said.
“Now’s the time for us to really come together and say, I’m not just doing this for me and my family, I’m doing this for my community and all the communities across the country,” Adams said.
Adams on Tuesday also said he agreed with the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that some research models have projected death totals that may turn out to be too high, though neither would offer an alternate estimate.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force projected a death toll of 100,000 to 240,000 a week ago, saying containing deaths to that range was possible if strict social distance measures were respected, implying it could go even higher.
But Adams told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he was encouraged by recent data showing a possible “flattening” of the outbreak in some areas.
Asked if he believed the death toll would come in below the dire White House estimate, Adams said, “That’s absolutely my expectation.”
“I feel a lot more optimistic, again, because I’m seeing mitigation work,” he said, adding that he agreed with CDC director Robert Redfield that deaths could fall short of totals that some computer models showed.he governors of New York, New Jersey and Louisiana pointed to tentative signs on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak may be starting to plateau but warned against complacency.
The coronavirus death toll has surpassed 10,000 in the United States and confirmed cases have topped 367,000.
President Trump responded to the recent White House projection by saying any death toll less than 100,000 would be considered a success.
Redfield said Monday that social distancing of the type ordered by nearly all state governors was effective.
“If we just social distance, we will see this virus and this outbreak basically decline, decline, decline. And I think that’s what you’re seeing,” Redfield said.
“I think you’re going to see the numbers are, in fact, going to be much less than what would have been predicted by the models.”
A research model from the University of Washington — one of several cited by leading health authorities — forecasts 81,766 US coronavirus fatalities by Aug. 4, down about 12,000 from a weekend projection.
The pandemic has upended daily life around the globe, killing more than 74,000 people and infecting at least 1.3 million.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said statewide deaths from COVID-19 had leveled off around 600 per day in recent days, highest in the nation, though the numbers ticked back up to 731, Cuomo said Tuesday.
“Behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family … a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers,” he said during his daily news briefing.
But hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care units and the number of patients put on ventilator machines to keep them breathing had all declined, Cuomo said.
In neighboring New Jersey, the state with the second-highest number of cases and deaths, Governor Phil Murphy said efforts to reduce the spread “are starting to pay off.”
https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/surgeon-general-african-americans-at-higher-coronavirus-risk/
“I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America,” Adams said on CBS “This Morning.”
“And I and many black Americans are at higher risk for COVID, which is why we need everyone to do their part to slow the spread.”
Adams explained that black Americans were more likely to have preexisting conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease and lack access to health care.
In Chicago, African Americans made up 68 percent of the city’s 118 deaths and 52 percent of the roughly 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, despite making up just 30 percent of the city’s population, The Chicago Tribune reported, citing data from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Those numbers take your breath away,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the paper on Monday. “This is a call to action for all of us.”
Those numbers demonstrate the importance of social distancing, he said.
“Now’s the time for us to really come together and say, I’m not just doing this for me and my family, I’m doing this for my community and all the communities across the country,” Adams said.
Adams on Tuesday also said he agreed with the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that some research models have projected death totals that may turn out to be too high, though neither would offer an alternate estimate.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force projected a death toll of 100,000 to 240,000 a week ago, saying containing deaths to that range was possible if strict social distance measures were respected, implying it could go even higher.
But Adams told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he was encouraged by recent data showing a possible “flattening” of the outbreak in some areas.
Asked if he believed the death toll would come in below the dire White House estimate, Adams said, “That’s absolutely my expectation.”
“I feel a lot more optimistic, again, because I’m seeing mitigation work,” he said, adding that he agreed with CDC director Robert Redfield that deaths could fall short of totals that some computer models showed.he governors of New York, New Jersey and Louisiana pointed to tentative signs on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak may be starting to plateau but warned against complacency.
The coronavirus death toll has surpassed 10,000 in the United States and confirmed cases have topped 367,000.
President Trump responded to the recent White House projection by saying any death toll less than 100,000 would be considered a success.
Redfield said Monday that social distancing of the type ordered by nearly all state governors was effective.
“If we just social distance, we will see this virus and this outbreak basically decline, decline, decline. And I think that’s what you’re seeing,” Redfield said.
“I think you’re going to see the numbers are, in fact, going to be much less than what would have been predicted by the models.”
A research model from the University of Washington — one of several cited by leading health authorities — forecasts 81,766 US coronavirus fatalities by Aug. 4, down about 12,000 from a weekend projection.
The pandemic has upended daily life around the globe, killing more than 74,000 people and infecting at least 1.3 million.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said statewide deaths from COVID-19 had leveled off around 600 per day in recent days, highest in the nation, though the numbers ticked back up to 731, Cuomo said Tuesday.
“Behind every one of those numbers is an individual, is a family … a lot of pain again today for many New Yorkers,” he said during his daily news briefing.
But hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care units and the number of patients put on ventilator machines to keep them breathing had all declined, Cuomo said.
In neighboring New Jersey, the state with the second-highest number of cases and deaths, Governor Phil Murphy said efforts to reduce the spread “are starting to pay off.”
https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/surgeon-general-african-americans-at-higher-coronavirus-risk/
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