Public Health Emergency - Leading a Nation Prepared
More than 300 Medical Reserve Corps units are assisting communities with COVID-19 vaccination efforts in 43 states, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, with more preparing to activate.
In response to the recent and unusual severe winter weather in Texas, HHS Acting Secretary Norris Cochran declared a public health emergency in the state. This action follows President Biden's emergency declaration giving healthcare providers and suppliers more flexibility to meet emergency health needs.
HHS and DoD announced the purchase of an additional 100 million COVID-19 vaccines each from Moderna and Pfizer bringing the total combined mRNA vaccines purchased to 600 million doses!
To increase the number of healthcare providers who can administer the COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Health and Human Services is adding new categories of qualified persons authorized to prescribe, dispense, and administer the vaccine by broadening the use of the PREP Act.
ASPR and Medicare built a suite of tools for public health authorities to support community COVID-19 response efforts, including a dashboard with population risks for COVID-19 hospitalization and death of Medicare beneficiaries down to the ZIP code, and more.
