Hospital industry wants Congress to quickly pass emergency funding
The hospital industry warned policymakers in Washington, D.C., this week that Congress needs to quickly pass emergency funding for the coronavirus crisis and direct some of the funding to plug anticipated gaps in hospital operating budgets. In the event of widespread sickness, costs would soar for isolation rooms for infected patients, equipment and training. Rural facilities are feeling the effects first as the health systems have begun rationing certain supplies. The American Hospital Association said, “As the shortage of medical supplies grows, extraordinary steps to preserve (personal protective equipment), including canceling elective surgeries and other procedures, may need to occur.” Read more here.
Premier says 44% of N95 orders over past 45 days have yet to be fulfilled
Premier Inc. (Charlotte, NC) says that 44% of its members’ N95 orders over the past 45 days have yet to be fulfilled. Company officials describe this as very abnormal. Under normal circumstances, they would expect nearly all of their usual orders to be fulfilled within one or two days. Soumi Saha, senior director of advocacy for Premier, told CNN that the manufacturers of medical devices like N95s aren’t necessarily reporting shortages to the FDA, but unlike drug manufacturers, they don’t have to by law. More here.
J&J closely monitoring COVID-19, exploring potential for vaccine
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) (New Brunswick, NJ) released a business statement last Friday stating it is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and taking steps to help prevent the spread of the virus as well as exploring the potential for a vaccine. J&J said it has robust business continuity plans in place across its global supply chain network to prepare for unforeseen events and to meet the needs of its patients, customers and consumers who depend on its products. These steps include maintaining critical inventory at major distribution centers away from high-risk areas and working with external suppliers to support its preparedness plans. J&J summarized by sector.
- “Pharmaceutical: While this remains a dynamic situation, we do not foresee pharmaceutical supply interruptions related to COVID-19 at this time.
- Medical Devices: While this remains a dynamic situation, the vast majority of our global medical device manufacturing is running at or near normal capacity at this time, including plants in China.
- Consumer: Currently, we do not foresee any significant supply risks of Consumer products as a result of COVID-19. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure product availability for our consumers and customers.”
Coronavirus may have spread in U.S. for weeks undetected
According to a New York Times report, the coronavirus may have spread in the U.S. for weeks, a gene sequencing analysis found. Two infections in Snohomish County, WA, shared a rare genetic variation, indicating they likely were related. The infections concerned the first confirmed case in the U.S. on Jan. 20, which involved a man in his 30s, and another, involving a teenager, that was confirmed last Friday. Trevor Bedford, an associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, told the New York Times that this means the virus likely was spreading in between. Bedford said it’s possible the two cases are unrelated but that it’s unlikely, as only two out of 59 sample sequences from China had the genetic variation found in both cases. Read more here.
U.S. sees second coronavirus death over weekend, spreads in Northwest
The U.S. epicenter for coronavirus has become Kirkland, WA, a suburb of Seattle, as much of it focused on a nursing facility where six coronavirus cases have been confirmed and many more residents and employees have complained of illness. One of the six, a resident of the nursing home, has died at EvergreenHealth Hospital (Kirkland, WA). The death was the second in the U.S. from the virus. The first also occurred at EvergreenHealth Hospital. One-quarter of Kirkland’s firefighters were in quarantine this weekend because they had been at the nursing home, and a close college spent Sunday cleansing its campus because students had visited the nursing home. The hospital has asked visitors to stay away. Read more here.
F5 closes its downtown Seattle headquarters tower for cleaning
F5 is closing its downtown Seattle, WA, headquarters tower for cleaning after it learned an employee had been in contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. F5 is encouraging employees to work from home, postponing large events or replacing them with virtual meetings, and prohibiting nonessential international and domestic business travel. “We are committed to supporting the employee’s health, as well as protecting their privacy,” said Rob Gruening, a company spokesperson. F5 is a company that focuses on the delivery, security, performance and availability of web applications. More here.
New coronavirus cases in New York and Florida as more diagnostic tests could equal a jump in cases
Dr. John Torres, an NBC News medical correspondent, said this rise in public cases is consistent with what the government and public health experts have been predicting. As the week begins, more local agencies will be getting more diagnostic test kits. This could increase the amount of cases detected around the country. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a public health emergency after officials reported two presumptive cases in Florida. New York state also reported its first case, saying Sunday that a woman is quarantined in her home in Manhattan after contracting the virus during a recent trip to Iran. Read more U.S. updates here.
U.S. surgeon general urges Americans to not buy facemasks
Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon general, wrote on Twitter, “Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!” They are ineffective for those without symptoms and the purchases deplete the supplies available for medical professionals. Dr. Adams continued, “They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” The CDC says masks should be worn only by medical professionals and those with the virus. More here.
Wuhan discharges last patient, closes one of its makeshift hospitals as cases drop
Wuhan, the epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak, has closed one of 16 hospitals built to respond to the outbreak as it discharged its last patient. The closure accompanied a steep drop in the number of cases in the Hubei province, Chinese officials said. The province reported 196 new cases Sunday, marking the first time since January that the daily number lower than 200. The decline will allow transition from “overall containment to targeted containment,” Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission, told Reuters. More here.
More coronavirus resources from The Journal of Healthcare Contracting:
- FAQ/Insights – Helpful and relevant links to help you keep track of the ongoing epidemic