COVID-19 pandemic has ‘significantly strained’ hospitals, HHS report finds as staff suffered burnout

U.S. hospitals say they have been operating in ‘survival mode’ for the majority of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a new report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) inspector general on Wednesday, medical centers said that staffing shortages have impacted patient care.  What’s more, the exhaustion of long shifts and dealing … Read more

HHS awards $230M to Ellume to scale up manufacturing of over-the-counter home test

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) have awarded $230 million to help a company scale up production of the first at-home coronavirus test. The test, made by Australian manufacturer Ellume, was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December. It comes with a … Read more

Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer asks HHS permission to purchase 100,000 doses directly from Pfizer

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has asked the federal government if the state can go to Pfizer Inc and directly buy 100,000 more doses more of the coronavirus vaccine. On Monday, Whitmer sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar requesting permission to purchase doses straight from the pharmaceutical company.  ‘This direct purchase … Read more

HHS announces $22 billion for 50 states to expand testing, contact tracing and vaccine distribution

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had pledged to increase funding to states and territories to expand COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts. On Wednesday evening, the agency announced it was committing $22 billion to jurisdictions by January 19. This includes funds for $19 billion testing, contact tracing and surveillance systems but just $3 … Read more

One-third of US hospitals surpassed 90% capacity in ICUs last week, HHS data reveals 

Rising coronavirus cases and deaths are causing beds in US hospitals to fill up much more quickly than expected. On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released facility-level data from more than 2,000 counties for the first time since the pandemic began. It revealed that one in three intensive care units (ICUs) … Read more

HHS threatens to cut off funding for US hospitals if they don’t report data on COVID-19 patients

HHS threatens to cut off funding for US hospitals if they do not start reporting data on COVID-19 patients within 14 weeks after hundreds fail to regularly share stats with the White House HHS is threatening to cut off of Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals that do not report data on coronavirus and influenza … Read more