COVID Pharma Update

COVID By the Numbers

From reported cases, recovered cases, deaths, vaccine progress, doses administered, to fully vaccinated regions, COVID-19 data changes quickly and frequently. How many cases are worldwide compared to in the United States? How many approved vaccines are there and how is my state doing when it comes to fully vaccinated the population? For the most up-to-date numbers in any region and around the world the COVID-19 Tracker gets its information from both the CDC, the WHO, and more.

Vaccine Administration and Management

GTMRx Institute Launches National Task Force to Build Vaccine Confidence
The Get the Medications Right™ Institute (@GTMRxInstitute) launched a national task force to identify and address the reasons why 45% of Americans don’t feel confident about vaccination against COVID-19.

Americares Launches Public Health Campaign to Educate and Change Attitudes on COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Americares (@AmeriCares), a health-focused relief and development organization, is tapping into the power of music to reinforce the continued importance of COVID-19 safety precautions with a campaign featuring original music and choreography. As vaccines roll out across the nation and states relax restrictions, the music and dance-based public health education campaign puts safety precautions at the center of pop culture. The “Wear a Mask” campaign encourages the continued adherence to COVID safety protocols, pairing an infectious melody with an entertaining dance—and scientific evidence.

CVS Health teams up with U.S. employers to simplify access to COVID-19 vaccines and help bring people back to work
CVS Health (@cvshealth) announced it recently began administering COVID-19 vaccines at employer-based vaccination clinics through Return Ready, helping to increase access to vaccinations for employees following expanded eligibility to all adults in the United States and an increasing vaccine supply.

HHS Launches ‘We Can Do This: Live’ Initiative to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “We Can Do This” public education campaign to increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines and encourage vaccination, the Department of Health and Human Services (@hhsgov) is launching a new initiative to connect Americans with facts and information on vaccines from doctors, scientists, and health professionals through high-impact digital platforms.

Software Management Tools

VaccineCheck Provides Secure and Accessible Digital Vaccine Passport to Support Safe Return to Work, Travel and Normalcy
Delivering peace of mind and up-to-date vaccination reporting for individuals and businesses alike, VaccineCheck’s secure digital passport combines privacy and portability to support a safer and faster return to work and daily life. VaccineCheck is now being used by local governments in Maryland and New York.

Vaccines

Millions of Americans Have Missed Their Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose: CDC
Health Day reports that more than 5 million Americans have missed the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, new government data show.

The Shock and Reality of Catching Covid After Being Vaccinated
Kaiser Health News (@KHNews) reports that in data released Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that at least 5,800 people had fallen ill or tested positive for the coronavirus two weeks or more after they completed both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

Clinical Trials

Pfizer and BioNTech Confirm High Efficacy and No Serious Safety Concerns Through Up to Six Months Following Second Dose in Updated Topline Analysis of Landmark COVID-19 Vaccine Study
Pfizer Inc. (@Pfizer) and BioNTech SE (@BioNTech_Group) announced updated topline results from analysis of 927 confirmed symptomatic cases of COVID-19 observed in their pivotal Phase 3 study through March 13, 2021, showing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, was 91.3% effective against COVID-19, measured seven days through up to six months after the second dose. The vaccine was 100% effective against severe disease as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 95.3% effective against severe COVID-19 as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reduce Covid-19 hospitalization risk by 94% among older adults, CDC study says
CNN reports that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines were found in the real world to be 94% effective against Covid-19 hospitalization among fully vaccinated adults ages 65 and older in the United States, according to a new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

Testing

Maverick Health Taps ixlayer to Facilitate COVID-19 Point-of-Care Testing for Organizations and Residents Across the United States
Maverick Health has selected ixlayer (@ixlayer_), a company in technology-based solutions for diagnostic testing, to provide the information technology infrastructure for their COVID-19 testing program across the United States. The partnership will allow Maverick Health the ability to scale rapid Point-of-care (POC) testing to their customers to help organizations catch asymptomatic cases, provide a healthy environment for employees, and make communities as safe as possible.

To Read

The Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Devices and Sterilization by Devin Partida – When the COVID-19 pandemic first began causing problems around the world, health care professionals often had to adjust their practices as new research became available. However, one thing that was clear from the start was the need to maintain effective sterilization techniques.

CMS proposes to enhance the medical workforce in rural and underserved communities to support COVID-19 recovery and beyond – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (@CMSGov) issued a proposed rule (CMS-1752-P) for inpatient and long-term care hospitals that builds on the Biden Administration’s key priorities to close health care equity gaps and provide greater accessibility to care.

Therapeutics

Pfizer Developing Pill to Treat COVID-19 Symptoms
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says an oral drug the company is developing to treat COVID-19 symptoms could be available to the public by the end of the year.

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.