COVID Pharma Update
Vaccine Administration and Management
AdhereHealth Launches High-Risk Patient COVID-19 Vaccine Accelerator for the Underserved
AdhereHealth (@AdhereHealth), a healthcare technology leader in medication adherence insights and health outcomes, announced the launch of its High-Risk Patient COVID-19 Vaccine Accelerator. The outbound, data-driven tele-pharmacy solution helps governments, health plans and providers facilitate COVID-19 vaccinations for vulnerable populations by addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), such as health literacy, transportation, and chronic condition medication access, as well as increasing vaccination clinics or in-home services.
Health care stakeholders collaborate to get COVID-19 vaccines in arms
Equity is the cornerstone of the US COVID-19 vaccination strategy, and federal agencies are working with health care providers, insurers, pharmacies, state and local governments and community organizations to ensure underserved people have access to vaccines, health officials told the America’s Health Insurance Plans National Policy Conference reports SmartBrief.
Biden Administration Takes Action Through HHS to Increase Number of Vaccinators
As part of President Biden’s national strategy to defeat the pandemic, and following his speech last night outlining the Administration’s next steps in the war-time effort to speed COVID-19 vaccinations, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (@hhsgov) has taken action to expand the pool of qualified professionals able to serve as vaccinators.
Biden Administration to Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Program to 950 Community Health Centers
As part of President Biden’s commitment to ensure the nation’s underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated, this week the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is announcing that an additional 700 HRSA-supported health centers will be invited to join the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program. These health centers will have the opportunity to join the program over the next six weeks, increasing the total number of invited health center participants to 950.
Biden Administration Announces Historic $10 Billion Investment to Expand Access to COVID-19 Vaccines and Build Vaccine Confidence in Hardest-Hit and Highest-Risk Communities
As part of President Biden’s continued efforts to ensure COVID-19 vaccines reach all people and all communities, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing a series of actions to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines to the hardest-hit and highest-risk communities across the country.
Software Management Tools
Prescryptive Health Announces Free COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Solution to Support Independent Pharmacies Nationwide
Prescryptive Health (@PrescryptiveH), a healthcare technology company, announced a free vaccine scheduling solution for pharmacies across the country. This service builds on their successful COVID-19 testing partnership with the State of New York, and will be available nationwide beginning today. The initiative is part of a larger commitment by Prescryptive Health to empower pharmacists and consumers through its digital platform to improve the way healthcare is delivered, making it more affordable and accessible to all.
Software enhancement helps alert radiologists to false-positive lymph nodes in mammograms for COVID-19-vaccinated patients
medQ Inc (@medq_inc), a provider of automated imaging workflow solutions, announces the deployment of a new enhancement to the Q/ris 3000 Enterprise Imaging Workflows designed to alert scheduling and front desk staff of a patient’s COVID-19 vaccination status and alert Radiologists to potential false-positive lymph node issues during routine mammogram exams.
DeliverHealth Solutions’ On-Demand Services Bolster Productivity and Patient Experience in COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Contact Center Support
DeliverHealth Solutions (@deliverhs), a global provider of professional and tech-enabled services to simplify Electronic Health Record (EHR), provider documentation, revenue cycle and patient engagement complexities for health systems, announced client success with on-demand staff augmentation for COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Vaccines
Largest U.S. Mobile Mass Vaccinator Hires Axia Public Relations
Health Hero, an on-site mobile mass vaccinator, selected Axia Public Relations (@axiapr) to share its vaccination capabilities with America’s largest preauthorized injection companies and largest employers to inoculate COVID-19 as quickly as possible.
Biden Administration to Invest $250 Million in Effort to Encourage COVID-19 Safety and Vaccination Among Underserved Populations
As part of President Biden’s National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, the Administration is announcing an effort to invest $250 million to encourage COVID-19 safety and vaccination among underserved populations.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches Nationwide Network of Trusted Voices to Encourage Vaccination in Next Phase of COVID-19 Public Education Campaign
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is announcing additional measures to encourage vaccinations and increase vaccine confidence as part of the next phase of its COVID-19 public education campaign. The Administration is launching the COVID-19 Community Corps – a nationwide, grassroots network of local voices people know and trust to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.
Therapeutics
FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Public Dashboard
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, FDA (@US_FDA) launched the FAERS Public Dashboard for COVID-19 emergency use authorization (EUA) products. The COVID-19 EUA FAERS Public Dashboard provides weekly updates of adverse event reports submitted to FAERS for drugs and therapeutic biological products used under EUA in COVID-19. After launching the FAERS Public Dashboard, click on the COVID-19 EUA link on the home page to open the COVID-19 EUA FAERS Public Dashboard.
Testing
Alveo Technologies’ be.well COVID-19 Test Wins XPRIZE Rapid Covid Testing Competition
Alveo Technologies, Inc. (@AlveoTech) announced that it has been named a winner of the $6M XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing Competition for its be.well COVID-19 Test. The be.well™ platform provides individuals access to molecular testing and cloud-based analytics for rapid diagnosis and management of infectious diseases.
Biden Administration to Invest More Than $12 Billion to Expand COVID-19 Testing
As part of President Biden’s National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness – PDF, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan to ramp up screening testing to help schools reopen, $2.25 billion to scale up testing in underserved populations, and provide new guidance on asymptomatic screening testing in schools, workplaces, and congregate settings. These measures are part of President Biden’s strategy to increase COVID-19 testing nationwide as vaccinations increase.
To Read
Why you should get the first COVID-19 vaccine offered to you by Deb Balzer Mayo Clinic – COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration are being distributed by local states and communities, and they are free. If you are eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.
When will kids be eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19? By Jason Howland Mayo clinic – As the number of adults in the U.S. who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 continues to increase, children under 16 aren’t authorized to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Children who are 16 and up can receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, but no one under 18 is eligible for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Additionally, don’t miss this podcast episode: Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: What’s the latest on COVID-19 vaccines for children?
Clinical Trials
Novavax Covid vaccine is highly effective in U.K. trial, drugmaker says
According to NBC News the Maryland-based biotech company Novavax (@Novavax) reported that its experimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 96 percent effective in preventing mild and severe illness. Novavax’s trials in the U.S. and South Africa continue, and the company cannot apply for emergency use authorization in the U.S. until the American trials are complete.
To Listen
COVID-19 Episodes
We have compiled a playlist from all our shows and podcasts on our network that discuss the current COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Resources
HealthcareNOW Radio rounded up some health IT resources being offered by companies to help healthcare professionals, American citizens and all of those affected in the fight against the coronavirus.
COVID-19 Reports
We’ve rounded up some of the latest news and announcements pertaining to the coronavirus and the healthcare industry.
