The HPH Sector Preparedness, Response, and COVID-19 Updates
April 26, 2023
The HPH Sector Preparedness, Resilience, and Response Update is produced by the
Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection
(CIP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
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COVID-19 Situation Updates
As of April 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
reported 104,445,294 cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 1,129,573 deaths in the United States. The map below shows confirmed (COVID-19) cases reported by U.S. states and territories, and the District of Columbia.
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Variants:
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is constantly changing and accumulating mutations in its genetic code over time. New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to continue to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants. To identify and track SARS-CoV-2 variants,
CDC uses genomic surveillance.
CDC's national genomic surveillance system collects SARS-CoV-2 specimens for sequencing through the National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance (NS3) program, as well as SARS-CoV-2 sequences generated by commercial or academic laboratories contracted by CDC and state or local public health laboratories. Learn more on CDC.gov.
Vaccines:
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent mRNA vaccines to simplify the vaccination schedule for most individuals. This action includes authorizing the current bivalent vaccines (original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age and older, including for an additional dose or doses for certain populations. The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States. Learn more at
FDA.gov.
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Following FDA regulatory action, CDC has taken steps to simplify COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and allow more flexibility for people at higher risk who want the option of added protection from additional COVID-19 vaccine doses.
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Adults reporting experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination in health care had a significantly higher prevalence of being unvaccinated against COVID-19 overall and among most racial and ethnic groups, according to CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Learn more at CDC.gov.
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HHS announced the ‘HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Program to maintain broad access to COVID-19 vaccines for millions of uninsured Americans. The program will create a unique $1.1 billion public-private partnership to help maintain uninsured individuals’ access to COVID-19 care at their local pharmacies, through existing public health infrastructure, and at their local health centers.
The program has two major components. First, provide support for the existing public sector vaccine safety net, which is implemented through local health departments and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) supported health centers. Second, create a novel, funded partnership with pharmacy chains that will enable them to continue offering free COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments to the uninsured through their network or retail locations as has been done during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). These efforts will create a unique public-private partnership that will help maintain uninsured individuals’ access to COVID-19 care at their local pharmacies, at their local health centers, and through the public health infrastructure. Learn
more about the program on HHS.gov.
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Emergency Funding and Declarations
Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Department of Commerce has recommended $562 million in funding — including investments in nearly 150 projects across 30 coastal and Great Lakes states and territories — to make communities and the economy more resilient to climate change, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda. This announcement reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to tackle the climate crisis and ensure that communities are more resilient to extreme weather events. The awards are made under NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative and are funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and bolstered by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The Biden-Harris Administration is moving aggressively to tackle the climate crisis and help communities that are experiencing increased flooding, storm surge and more frequent extreme weather events. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is focused on growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle out — from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make communities more climate-resilient. Learn more on
NOAA.gov.
Disaster Declarations
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On April 24,2023 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr declared that major disaster exists for in the State of Oklahoma and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes from April 19 - April 20, 2023. The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of McClain and Pottawatomie.
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On April 22, 2023 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe winter storm from January 30 - February 2, 2023.
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On April 15, 2023 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists
in the State of Indiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes from March 31 - April 1, 2023. The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Allen, Benton, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Johnson, Lake, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Sullivan, and White.
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Resilience Recovery
San Juan, Puerto Rico –The north coast of Puerto Rico is home to nearly 50 percent of the island’s dunes, which provide important services for the ecosystem: they protect hawksbill habitats, as well as communities and critical infrastructure from coastal flooding and storm surges. However, Hurricanes Irma and María, the commercial and illegal extraction of sand and heavy foot traffic from beachgoers, among other factors, have reduced the size of the dunes and their ability to act as natural barriers.
Attention to this and other damage as a result of climate change is key in coordinating a long-term recovery for Puerto Rico. Aware of this, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) works together with local organizations to find solutions that contribute to the preservation of the country’s infrastructure and natural resources.
The executive director of the Puerto Rico Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), Manuel A. Laboy Rivera, stated that “government agencies, as well as municipalities and non-profit organizations, concentrate part of their efforts on the development of projects focused on mitigating multiple risks in order to rebuild a resilient infrastructure. Complying with Governor Pedro Pierluisi’s public policy, we will continue to support this development led by the DNER and the UPR, Aguadilla Campus, which is added to other measures that the chief executive recently announced to mitigate coastal erosion through an allocation of $105 million.” Learn more on
FEMA.gov.
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ASPR TRACIE Resources
ASPR TRACIE Mass Casualty Hospital Expansion Toolkit (New)
Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) generally occur without warning. A concise, scalable surge response template can be a helpful quick reference to the hospital personnel tasked with expanding care capacity in the first hours of an MCI and can minimize ad hoc and potentially conflicting decisions about prioritization of space and strategies. This toolkit
includes four sections to guide emergency department, general inpatient, and critical care space expansion and basic additional staffing needs in the event of patient surge.
ASPR TRACIE Risk Communications/Emergency Public Information and Warning Topic Collection (Updated)
Resources in this updated ASPR TRACIE Topic Collection include lessons learned, education and training modules, results from studies conducted on the effectiveness of risk communications and plans, tools, and templates that can be tailored to meet the specific threats and needs of healthcare and medical professionals.
ASPR TRACIE Social Media in Emergency Response Topic Collection (Updated)
This updated ASPR TRACIE Topic Collection includes social media-specific materials containing lessons learned and promising practices from incidents within the past decade and actionable resources specific the healthcare audience.
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Disaster Distress Helpline
Incidents of mass violence can have an enormous impact on people, including survivors, first responders, eyewitnesses, and even those who watch related media reports on television. counselors of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)-sponsored. The Disaster Distress Helpline, at 1-800-985-5990
, provides immediate counseling 24/7 to anyone who is seeking help in coping with the mental or emotional effects of recent mass violence events. Since its launch in February 2012, the Disaster Distress Helpline has provided counseling and support in response to disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, and the Coronavirus pandemic. The hotline also puts people in need of counseling on path to recovery. Learn more about the helpline on SAMHSA.gov.
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Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions, send an email to CIP@hhs.gov. The CIP team will work to answer your inquiries or connect you to the proper entity.
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Disclaimer: ASPR provides the above sources of information for the convenience of the HPH Sector community and is not responsible for the availability or content of the information or tools provided, nor does ASPR endorse, warrant or guarantee the products, services or information described or offered. It is the responsibility of the user to determine the usefulness and applicability of the information provided.
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