Coronavirus
Federal Employees, On-Site Contractors Now Required to Show COVID-19 Vaccination Status
Biden "is further directing his team to take steps to apply similar standards to all federal contractors," White House said. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
VA Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines Among Its Medical Employees Including VHA Facilities Staff
“We’re mandating vaccines for Title 38 employees because it’s the best way to keep Veterans safe, especially as the Delta variant spreads across the country,” McDonough said. Keep Reading
Considerations for the Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Workforce: Enhancing Access to COVID-19 Vaccination Services
As the pandemic evolves, case investigators and contact tracers can also help connect people to important services and resources, such as COVID-19 vaccination. Keep Reading
CDC Facts on Adverse Events Reported After COVID-19 Vaccination
Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Remote and Flexible Work Encouraged in Federal Agencies’ Post-COVID Re-entry Plans
"The agency’s eventual post-pandemic operating state may differ in significant ways from the agency’s pre-pandemic operating state," leaders of OMB, OPM and GSA tell department and agency heads in new guidance. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Biden Administration Buys 500 Million Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for Global Use
All of the doses will be distributed through COVAX — the global entity that is working to ensure equitable access to COVID testing and vaccines — and will be given to 92 low- and middle-income countries and the African Union. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Hospital Pharmacist Sentenced for Attempt to Spoil Hundreds of COVID Vaccine Doses
Steven R. Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, to two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
CDC Probes Rare Reports of Myocarditis in Young Vaccinated People
An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating a few reports of heart inflammation in young adults following their inoculation from two-dose mRNA vaccines. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Telegram Fraudsters Ramp Up Forged COVID-19 Vaccine Card Sales
Telegram groups are being abused by fraudsters peddling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to the unvaccinated and anti-vaxxer communities, according to researchers. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
FEMA Partners with Indian Health Service for Mobile COVID Vaccination Units to Serve Northern Plains
Two mobile vaccinations units will be operating on schedules running through the end of May. The units will be making two stops in each community, so that both doses of the vaccine can be delivered. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
GAO Reviews Efforts to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Availability and Initial Implementation
The federal government has taken several actions to increase the availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses and indicated it expects to have enough doses available for all adults in the United States by the end of May. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
‘Moral Imperative’ of Reducing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Needs Strong Strategy, Experts Say
Encouraging reticent Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine has to steer away from trying to "browbeat" people into getting the shots and must focus on community collaboration and "motivational interviewing techniques" from healthcare providers. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
DHS Announces Ten-Fold Increase in Vaccinated Workers Through Operation VOW
Recently, Operation VOW and VHA facilitated several events along the southwest border to vaccinate frontline and public-facing employees. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
CDC Study Finds Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccines are 90% Effective
A new CDC study provides strong evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections in real-world conditions among health care personnel, first responders, and other essential workers. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Port of Seattle Opens Vaccination Clinic
The Port of Seattle, working with the Washington Department of Health, FEMA, and Safeway/Albertsons, has opened a COVID-19 vaccination clinic to provide inoculations for transportation workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Trial Finds AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine is 100% Effective at Preventing Severe Disease
A trial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has demonstrated statistically significant vaccine efficacy of 76% at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% efficacy at preventing severe disease. The data safety monitoring board initially raised concerns over outdated information. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
FEMA Supports Vaccine Distribution Amid Winter Weather Response
FEMA has now obligated more than $3.38 billion to states, tribes and territories, and Washington, D.C., for community vaccination centers. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Spain to Keep Registry of People Who Refuse COVID-19 Vaccination
Spain will set up a registry of people who refuse to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus and share it with other European Union member states. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
FAA: Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers May Receive BioNTech/Pfizer Vaccine, With Precaution
The agency will require aviation professionals with medical certifications or medical clearances to observe a period of 48 hours following the administration of this vaccine before conducting safety-sensitive aviation duties, such as flying or controlling air traffic. Keep Reading
Coronavirus
2020 Vaccine Supplies Fall Short of Operation Warp Speed Promise
Instead of the delivery of 300 million or so doses of vaccine immediately after emergency-use approval and before the end of 2020 as the Trump administration had originally promised, current plans call for availability of around a tenth of that, or 35 to 40 million doses. Keep Reading