As the omicron variant begins to spread through the United States, President Biden commented on the U.S. reaching the milestone of 800,000 deaths from COVID-19. “To heal, we must remember. We must also act.” The President called on all Americans to get vaccinated. To date, over 50 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the U.S. In view of the rapid worldwide spread of the omicron variant, many are calling for the White House to quickly help with the manufacturing of global vaccines or waive intellectual property protections on coronavirus vaccines.
Yesterday, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci indicated the new strain would not require a variant specific booster. “Our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron,” Fauci said in a COVID-19 briefing. A report found the two-dose Pfizer vaccine is 70% effective at preventing omicron variant hospitalizations, but a study by Discovery Health found the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is only 33% effective at preventing infection, down from 80% effectiveness against the delta variant.
On Tuesday, President Biden commented on data released on the Pfizer antiviral pill, highlighting the pills effectiveness at reducing the risk of severe illness in people infected with COVID-19. In a statement, the President said the pill “will mark a significant step forward in our path out of the pandemic.” The Pfizer pill awaits full Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Capitol Hill
The Senate and House on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning passed legislation (S. J. Res. 33) increasing the public debt limit by $2.5 trillion; this action prevented a default that would have occurred later this month. The next time Congress will need to vote on extending the debt limit will be in early 2023 – after the midterm election.
Efforts to pass the $2 trillion Build Back Better legislation (BBB) before the end of the year appeared to falter this week. In addition to social and environmental initiatives, the BBB is the current vehicle for extending the child tax credit which has provided monthly payments to families since this summer; the payments have been credited with significantly reducing food insecurity, among other benefits. The Hill reported Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Fox News that BBB is “dead forever.” Ten Senate committees have released their legislative text and/or CBO score for the BBB.
On December 14, the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on “A Global Crisis Needs A Global Solution: The Urgent Need to Accelerate Vaccinations Around The World”. The hearing examined the importance of reaching high coronavirus vaccination rates around the world, including in lower-income countries, and explored the public health impacts and economic costs of insufficient global vaccination levels, and what actions are needed to support global vaccination efforts.
On December 13, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chair James Clyburn (D-SC) sent letters to the 12 private companies among the nation’s 50 largest that each reportedly laid off over 1,000 workers during the pandemic-induced economic downturn. The letters request that these companies—which collectively laid off over 100,000 workers—complete a survey and provide other data necessary to assess the impact of the pandemic on women in the American workforce and to help identify workplace policies that will promote a sustainable recovery and equitable future.
Administration
The Treasury Department revised its CARES Act funding regarding when a cost is considered incurred. Treasury previously determined that, for a cost associated with the acquisition of a good or service or the acquisition of or improvement to real estate to be considered to have been incurred within the covered period, performance or delivery must have occurred during the covered period. In light of the ongoing nature of public health emergency, Treasury is now revising the guidance to provide that a cost associated with a necessary expenditure incurred due to the public health emergency shall be considered to have been incurred by December 31, 2021, if the recipient has incurred an obligation with respect to such cost by December 31, 2021. Treasury defines obligation for this purpose as an order placed for property and services and entry into contracts, sub-awards, and similar transactions that require payment. The 3-page guidance document is here.
On December 16, the Biden Administration released its Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan. The Plan clarifies that state, local, and tribal governments can use Fiscal Recovery Funds – the $350 billion aid provided under the American Rescue Plan– for replacing lead service lines and protecting communities against lead in water. The Administration encourages state and local governments to use funds to replace lead service lines in their communities, an investment with long-term, transformational impacts for public health and family well-being. The Treasury Department will also take steps to ensure that funds can be used for a broad spectrum of services to address lead in water, including not only service line replacement but also replacement of internal plumbing and faucets and fixtures in schools and daycare centers, expanded water testing, projects to inventory lead lines, and outreach and education efforts to reach affected communities.
HHS announced the distribution of approximately $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments to health care providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The average payment being announced today for small providers is $58,000, for medium providers is $289,000, and for large providers is $1.7 million. More than 69,000 providers will receive Phase 4 payments.
NIH found the percentage of adolescents reporting substance use decreased significantly in 2021, according to the latest results from the Monitoring the Future survey of substance use behaviors and related attitudes among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders in the United States. These findings represent the largest one-year decrease in overall illicit drug use reported since 1975.
The White House announced the average number of Americans filing for unemployment over the last four weeks is now at its lowest level since 1969.
The Federal Communications Commission released additional guidance to help consumers, participating service providers, program partners, and other stakeholders prepare for the transition from the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program starts on December 31.
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NACo sent a letter to House leaders urging the swift passage of the bipartisan State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 3011/HR 5735). The legislation would build on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by giving state and local governments the flexibility to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to invest in infrastructure immediately while the legislation is implemented over the next several years.
Massachusetts will distribute more than 2 million at-home COVID-19 tests to some of the state’s most vulnerable communities as the region braces for a winter spike in cases. Massachusetts is paying $5 per test, and the tests come in packs of two.
California will reimpose a statewide indoor mask mandate this week amid an increase in COVID-19 infections. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency, said the mandate will last a month. Ghaly said the statewide seven-day average case rate has increased 47% and hospitalizations have increased by 14% since Thanksgiving.
Kroger Co. will eliminate paid emergency leave for unvaccinated employees who contract COVID-19 and require some unvaccinated employees on the company’s health care plan to pay a $50 monthly surcharge. The grocery chain, which employs around 465,000 U.S. workers, is one of the largest private employers to institute stricter COVID-19 rules for unvaccinated employees without requiring the vaccine. The new measures come as cases rise across the country and health experts brace for another wave fueled by the omicron variant.
Vaccine News
Pfizer announced a study found its oral antiviral COVID-19 pill Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in high-risk patients. Pfizer said the 2,246 patients in the study were given the pill within three days of symptom onset, adding they had mild to moderate symptoms as well as an underlying medical condition or an increased risk of becoming severely infected by COVID-19.
Pfizer also stated a booster of its COVID-19 vaccine may offer important protection against the new omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective. Pfizer and BioNTech said that while two doses may not be strong enough to prevent infection, lab tests showed a booster increased by 25-fold people’s level of antibodies capable of fighting off omicron. For people who haven’t yet had a booster, the companies said two doses still should prevent severe disease or death.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a brief order, denied injunctive relief to health care workers who argued that New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate violated their constitutional rights because it lacked a religious exemption. The emergency rule requires health care facilities in New York to ensure that certain employees are vaccinated against COVID-19. The mandate includes a medical exemption, but it does not have an exemption for those who object on religious grounds.
British researchers found that patients who receive a first Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dose followed by a second Moderna shot developed an improved immune response. The results support a more flexible approach to the worldwide vaccination effort that doesn’t limit patients to only the type of dose they initially received; this finding could make vaccinating the global population easier.
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Planning for Economic Recovery
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January 13, 1:00 PM ET
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