Covid Alerts & Updates

FDA Creates Program to Speed Up Coronavirus Therapies
The FDA has created an emergency program to accelerate the development of treatments for the novel coronavirus. By redeploying staff, the FDA thinks it can respond to COVID-19-related requests and review protocols within 24 hours of receipt as political pressure ramps up to speed along new therapies and vaccines. The FDA now counts 10 drugs in active trials, with another 15 in the planning stage. In trying to reduce regulatory barriers to the progress of those assets, the FDA has established processes it has now formalized with the creation of the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program.

White House Says No “Surprise” Bills for COVID-19 Patients
Hospitals taking money from the $2 trillion stimulus bill will have to agree not to send “surprise” medical bills to patients treated for COVID-19, the White House said. Surprise bills typically happen when a patient with health insurance gets treated at an out-of-network emergency room, or when an out-of-network doctor assists with a hospital procedure. They can run from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands.

Amazon Redirects Resources to Create COVID-19 Testing Lab
Amazon has redirected qualified staff to build a lab to test employees for the novel coronavirus. In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. struggled on a federal level to provide enough testing to contain the virus' spread. Federal regulators quickly cut red tape to allow more diagnostic companies to create their own tests. However, commercial labs have had difficulty gaining the equipment needed to expand these efforts. But Amazon wants to help with the testing, saying in a blog post that it will help the economy return if there is regular testing "on a global scale across all industries.”

Google Will Guide Users to Virtual Doctor’s Visits Through Search and Maps
Google wants to make it easier for people to get medical care virtually, so they don’t need to leave their homes in the midst of a pandemic. The company said it is rolling out two new features in its Search and Maps products to direct people looking for medical care to available doctors, including telehealth options when they’re available. For instance, when people search for immediate general care (like “urgent care near me” or “walk-in clinics”), they may see national virtual care platforms alongside the results. When there are specific doctors’ offices with virtual care options, those will pop up as people search for them.

Coronavirus Contact Tracing: Apple and Google Team Up to Enable Virus Tracking
In one of the most far-ranging attempts to halt the spread of the coronavirus, Apple and Google said they were building software into smartphones that would tell people if they were recently in contact with someone who was infected with it. The technology giants said they were teaming up to release the tool within several months, building it into the operating systems of the billions of iPhones and Android devices around the world. That would enable the smartphones to constantly log other devices they come near, enabling what is known as “contact tracing” of the disease. People would opt in to use the tool and voluntarily report if they became infected.