New coronavirus stable on surfaces for hours, days
According to a new study from NIH, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine, the virus that causes COVID-19 is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces. SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results suggest people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. The study attempted to mimic the virus being deposited from an infected person onto everyday surfaces in a household or hospital setting, such as through coughing or touching objects. Read about the study here.
Hospitals follow CDC recs, delay non-urgent elective surgeries across country
As hospitals face rising coronavirus caseloads and are preparing for a worsening outbreak, administrators in some of the hardest hit areas have begun canceling elective surgeries to focus on the highest-priority cases. The goal is to preserve resources like hospital beds and PPE to nursing and physician time. CDC recommendations are advising hospitals around Seattle, WA, New Rochelle, NY, and Santa Clara, CA, which have seen serious outbreaks, to cancel elective procedures. The American College of Surgeons recommended that every hospital, health system and surgeon in the country review the necessity of each elective procedure they have scheduled. More from the New York Times here.
CMS widens Medicare telehealth coverage considering COVID-19
Seema Verma, administrator for CMS, unveiled changes Tuesday that would significantly widen Medicare’s telehealth coverage considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes will let older patients who face a higher risk from COVID-19 to receive care at home. Previously, Medicare would only pay for telehealth visits when the patient was in a rural area and if they went to a clinic, hospital or another medical facility to receive care. Now, Medicare will cover telehealth visits for patients in any location. A wider range of providers will also be able to deliver telehealth services, including doctors, nurse practitioners and clinical psychologists. More here.
CMS announces COVID-19 partner toolkit
CMS has developed a toolkit to help patients and providers in the wake the COVID-19 outbreak. It aims to help inform the public on CMS and HHS materials and includes links to the CMS response to COVID-19 and other important government agency pages. You can find it here.
McConnell says Senate will pass House coronavirus bill without changes
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said the Senate will pass the House of Representatives’ second coronavirus funding package without changes. The House bill provides up to 10 days of paid leave for some workers and bolsters unemployment insurance. It would cap the paid leave at companies with 500 employees, but also allow businesses with less than 50 employees to apply for a waiver. However, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) stressed that no final decision had been made on legislative strategy. More here.
Trump says Canadian border closed to non-essential traffic
President Donald Trump has said the border with Canada will be temporarily closed to “non-essential traffic.” It is being done with the mutual consent of Canada. Countries around the world are adopting increasingly strict quarantine measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Experts warn that life worldwide will be severely disrupted for many months. More here.
NYC mayor tells city to prepare for “shelter in place”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned New York City residents to prepare for the possibility of a “shelter in place” order soon. “It is definitely a possibility at this point,” said de Blasio. “It is a difficult, difficult decision.” A similar directive in the San Francisco area requires people to stay at home except for essential activities. It would limit movement in the city to people with essential jobs like police officers, firefighters and healthcare workers. More here from the New York Times.
EU agrees to close external borders for 30 days
The European Union (EU) member nations have agreed to close the EU’s external borders for 30 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Movement within the EU’s 27 members nations will still be allowed, and the EU will arrange for the repatriation of citizens of member countries. The EU’s declaration follows Canada closing its borders except to U.S. citizens. French President Emmanuel Macron ordered citizens in France to stay at home for up to 15 days except for essential needs. More here.