HSCA statement on Senate HELP committee hearing on the coronavirus
HSCA President and CEO Khatereh Calleja released the following statement in conjunction with “An Emerging Disease Threat: How the U.S. is Responding to COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus,” a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP):
“HSCA and its member healthcare group purchasing organizations (GPOs) applaud Senate HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) for their focus on the United States’ efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“Public health crises like the coronavirus place enormous stress on the entire healthcare system, including first responders, physicians, hospitals, other healthcare providers, and the patients they serve. HSCA and its member GPOs are working closely with Congress, the Administration, federal agencies, and all healthcare stakeholders throughout the healthcare delivery system to safeguard the supply chain and ensure hospitals and healthcare providers are equipped to treat and prevent the spread of this disease.
“HSCA recently joined other leading healthcare organizations in urging swift Senate action on the Mitigating Emergency Drug Shortages (MEDS) Act to help address vulnerabilities in the supply chain. As we continue to address this public health crisis, it is critical that all stakeholders work together to increase the flow of information and create greater visibility into where raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) of prescription drugs are manufactured.
“We thank the Senate HELP Committee for its focus on the coronavirus, and we will continue to work with healthcare stakeholders and state, federal, and local health and emergency management agencies to enable a coordinated, comprehensive response to this public health threat.”
Six deaths in Washington state from COVID-19; King County buys motel to house patients
Washington state has now seen six deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. King County, WA, (Seattle) has had five deaths and Snohomish County, WA, has had one death. “We expect the number of cases to increase in the coming days and weeks,” said Jeff Dunchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “We are taking this situation extremely seriously.” King County is purchasing a motel to house patients in isolation and setting up modular units to do the same. Read more here.
Washington state, Florida declare states of emergency to help prevent further spread
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis both declared states of emergency to help their states prevent further spread of COVID-19. In declaring a state of emergency, Gov. Inslee called on state agencies to use all resources, including the National Guard, necessary to respond to the outbreak. Vice President Mike Pence, who was chosen by President Donald Trump last week to lead the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, met with a handful of governors last week, including Gov. Inslee and Gov. DeSantis. More here.
Georgia officials confirm first two cases
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and state officials confirmed the state’s first two coronavirus cases Monday. The two people live in the same household in Fulton County, GA (Atlanta). The showed symptoms shortly after one of them returned to Georgia from Milan, Italy, site of an outbreak. The patient who traveled to Italy detected illness quickly, according to Dr. Kathleen Toomey, head of the state’s public health department, and consulted medical officials. “I want to reassure you that they’re at home, in home isolation with other household members, with minimal symptoms so they’re not hospitalized,” said Dr. Toomey. Read more here.
FEMA preps for possible emergency declaration
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning for the possibility that President Donald Trump could make an emergency declaration to bring in extra funding and personnel to assist the administration’s coronavirus response. President Trump would have to use the 1988 Stafford Act to enable FEMA to provide such disaster assistance. An emergency declaration would allow FEMA to provide disaster medical assistance teams, mobile hospitals and military transport. Read more here.
U.S. plans radical expansion of coronavirus testing
The U.S. now has enough diagnostic kits to test 75,000 people and the FDA has announced it will allow hundreds of labs to test for the virus. The Trump administration is also distributing tens of thousands of testing kits. These decisions should improve the pace of detecting coronavirus infections and make it possible to more rapidly spot patterns of suspected or confirmed cases. Many labs, run by states, universities and private companies, have applied for emergency approval for tests. The CDC had insisted that only its test could be used on suspected cases and only under limited circumstances. It also decided not to adopt a test approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Read more here.
Yale professor, radiologist says U.S. expected to see explosion of coronavirus cases
According to Yale professor Howard Forman, a practicing radiologist, the U.S. is expected to see its number of coronavirus cases soar in the coming days, but he says do not be alarmed. The documented numbers will increase because existing cases will become properly tested and identified. “There is absolutely going to an explosion in the number of identified cases,” Forman told Yale Insights. “But how fast that number increases is highly dependent on how fast we can test.” More here.
U.S. government promises to buy all leftover face masks to encourage production
The U.S. government is promising to buy all the leftover face masks and respirators manufacturers have on hand once the coronavirus scare subsides and demand dries up. A pre-solicitation issued to suppliers by HHS last week laid out its intention to procure up to 500 million N95 respirators and face masks during the next 18 months for its Strategic National Stockpile. The masks will be used to protect healthcare workers and first responders from airborne pathogens. Companies, though, are already struggling to meet demand, which is outpacing supply. The Strategic National Stockpile is made up of vitally important pharmaceuticals, vaccines, antidotes and other emergency supplies in strategic locations across the country. More here.
President Trump asks pharmaceutical companies to accelerate efforts on vaccine
President Donald Trump has asked pharmaceutical companies to accelerate efforts to create a coronavirus vaccine. President Trump said pharmaceutical representatives were scheduled to visit the White House Monday and the meeting would now focus on coronavirus and vaccines. “We’re going to have another subject, vaccines, and how they’re doing,” said President Trump. “We’ve asked them to accelerate whatever they’re doing in terms of vaccines, absolutely.” More here.
Coronavirus fears empty store shelves
Similar scenes have played out across the country and worldwide in recent days as consumers equipped themselves with necessities in case the coronavirus spreads to their community. Shoppers have reported stocking up on medications, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizers, face masks, surgical gloves and pantry staples. More widespread shortages could hit retailers in the coming weeks, experts warn. “Further delays in the restart of production could begin to result in out-of-stocks at U.S. shelves as early as mid-April,” wrote analysts from Wells Fargo in a recent report. More here.
Italy’s health system at limit in Lombardy
The coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy has overwhelmed the public health system. Officials are taking extraordinary measures to care for the sick, seeking to bring doctors out of retirement and accelerate graduation dates for nursing students. The region of Lombardy is the epicenter of Italy’s outbreak, registering the first positive test of the northern cluster and now counting at least 1,254 of Italy’s 2,036 cases. Lombardy’s doctors and nurses have tested positive for the virus at a 10% rate, according to the region’s top health official. “We’ll take anyone: old, young. We need personnel, especially qualified doctors,” said Gallera. Read 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