‘We’re Letting Science Speak Again’: Health Experts Renew Covid Briefings
Starting today, federal health officials and scientists will take the lead on briefing Americans three times a week about the state of the pandemic. News outlets report on other aspects of the Biden administration's covid and health care plans, as well.
AP:
Biden Says He's ‘Bringing Back The Pros’ For Virus Briefings
For nearly a year it was the Trump show. Now President Joe Biden is calling up the nation’s top scientists and public health experts to regularly brief the American public about the pandemic that has claimed more than 425,000 U.S. lives. Beginning Wednesday, administration experts will host briefings three times a week on the state of the outbreak, efforts to control it and the race to deliver vaccines and therapeutics to end it. ... “We’re bringing back the pros to talk about COVID in an unvarnished way,” Biden told reporters Tuesday. “Any questions you have, that’s how we’ll handle them because we’re letting science speak again.” (Miller, 1/27)
The Hill:
Vice President Harris Receives Second Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine
Vice President Harris received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md. Harris urged all Americans to get the vaccine when it's available to them, and thanked the NIH employees for their work. (Weixel, 1/26)
The Washington Post:
U.S. Arrivals Will Now Have To Quarantine. But Officials Haven’t Said How They Plan To Enforce It.
In a new Biden administration executive order that took effect Tuesday, the United States now requires all international entrants — including those returning home to the United States — pass two significant hurdles for entry. Travelers must secure a negative coronavirus test result before boarding their flight home, and upon arrival are directed to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to self-quarantine for at least seven days. ... While the first of those rules has a clear prerequisite attached to it — acquiring a coronavirus test abroad — it remains unclear how a self-quarantine would be enforced, and the CDC said in an email Monday that it will not enforce its guidelines for quarantine as a rule. (The White House did not respond to requests for clarification on that stance.) (McMahon, 1/26)
In other areas of health policy —
Roll Call:
Biden Inherits Trump's Unique Health Care Agenda
President Joe Biden’s tenure will be defined by his response to the coronavirus pandemic, an issue that stained former President Donald Trump’s term. But that's just part of the Trump health policy record that Biden now confronts. The new president is inheriting a unique mix of extraordinary and everyday policies at various stages of completion. (Clason, Kopp, McIntire and Raman, 1/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden To Lift Some Curbs On Abortion Funding, Reopen ACA Enrollment
President Biden on Thursday will begin shaping his health-care agenda by lifting certain restrictions on abortion funding and relaunching Affordable Care Act insurance sign-ups, moving swiftly to reassemble components of the health law weakened by the former Trump administration, according to a person familiar with the planning. (Armour and Siddiqui, 1/26)
Georgia Health News:
Biden Plan To Change Health Rules Could Leave Imprint In Georgia
The Biden administration is reportedly aiming to take steps to unravel recent federal decisions on health care. If pursued, those moves could have a major impact on Georgia’s Medicaid and private insurance waivers, recently approved by the Trump administration. (Miller, 1/26)
The health industry reacts to Biden's agenda —
Nature:
Biden’s Ambitious COVID Plan: What Scientists Think
Smarter testing, faster vaccinations and health equity are cornerstones of the 200-page COVID-19 strategy released by US President Joe Biden’s administration on 21 January, as the country surpassed 420,000 deaths due to the coronavirus. The plan pledges to “listen to science” — a shift from the approach of former president Donald Trump, who, at times, politicized scientific evidence and ignored public health recommendations. Many researchers posted messages on Twitter expressing relief that scientific evidence would play a central role in Biden’s plan. They also celebrated the existence of a coordinated national pandemic strategy, complaining that Trump’s failure to enact one impaired testing, tracing and other responses required to tame the outbreak. (Maxmen and Subbaraman, 1/26)
Modern Healthcare:
Lab Stakeholders Welcome Biden Moves On COVID-19 Testing, Suggest Additional Steps
With President Joseph Biden taking office this week, the lab industry is keen to see what steps his administration will take to boost COVID testing. Last week he released details on his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, a legislative package that would include $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing and an additional $30 billion investment in the Disaster Relief Fund to help ramp up production of supplies including items like vials, reagents, and protective gear that are essential to collecting and running clinical samples. The president's plan also calls for doubling the number of drive-through testing sites and investing in new testing technologies, particularly at-home and rapid tests. (Bonislawski, 1/26)
