Dive Brief:
During his first hours in office, President Joe Biden issued more than a dozen executive orders, including a mask mandate on federal property. He also said the U.S. would rejoin the World Health Organization and the global vaccine initiative COVAX.
The administration plans more efforts aimed at combating the novel coronavirus Thursday. Biden is expected to create a federal board to increase testing efforts and to begin the process of increasing healthcare supplies through use of the Defense Production Act. He also has a public address regarding COVID-19 on his schedule for the day.
Also Wednesday, the president named acting directors for several federal agencies. HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary of Budget Norris Cochran will lead the agency on a temporary basis while the nominee for secretary, Xavier Becerra, awaits confirmation hearings. CMS acting administrator will be Liz Richter, who has been with the agency for three decades.
Infectious Diseases Society of America endorses President Biden s federal building mask order
From CNN Health s Andrea Diaz
Infectious diseases specialists endorsed President Joe Biden’s first executive order requiring face masks on federal property and other areas of federal authority, saying masks are “crucial” to controlling the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s order comes at a critical point, when vaccines, as well as a plan to accelerate their rollout, offer new hope, but also when more easily transmitted variants of the virus present new challenges, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) said Wednesday. We urge governors, mayors, policymakers and residents of communities across the nation to unite behind this action and to require, support and practice mask wearing to control the spread of the virus.
COVID-19 mutations are rapidly appearing as US surpasses 400,000 deaths
By Marilynn Marchione
FULL INTERVIEW: New variant of COVID-19 discovered in patient in Ohio
According to the report, the new variant carries a mutation identical to the newly-discovered U.K. strain but likely arose in a virus strain already present in the United States.
LOS ANGELES - The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.
Controversy Flares Over Ivermectin for COVID-19 medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Associated Press
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2021, file photo a pharmacist draws saline while preparing a dose of Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine in Sacramento, Calif. Mutations to the virus are rapidly popping up and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, Pool, File)
The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.