Coronavirus Response Efforts Update (5/19/2020)

FDA Authorizes First Standalone At-Home Sample Collection Kit That Can Be Used With Certain Authorized Tests (HERE)

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized an at-home sample collection kit that can then be sent to specified laboratories for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. Specifically, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Everlywell, Inc. for the Everlywell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit.

NIH Director: Defeating COVID-19 Requires Unprecedented Action and Collaboration (HERE)

• In a Viewpoint published today in JAMA, Drs. Collins and Stoffels outline the innovative efforts of Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), a public-private initiative organized by NIH and the Foundation for the NIH. ACTIV’s partners, which include at least 18 leading biopharmaceutical companies, multiple U.S. federal agencies, and the European Medicines Agency, are developing an international strategy for an integrated research response to COVID-19.

IRS Adds Phone Operators to Answer Economic Impact Payment Questions (HERE)

• Today, the Internal Revenue Service is starting to add 3,500 telephone representatives to answer some of the most common questions about Economic Impact Payments.

U.S. Department of Labor Acts to Help American Workers and Employers During The Coronavirus Pandemic (HERE)

• Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

VA Lead Facilities Reintroduce Health Care Services While Ensuring Safe Environment (HERE)

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie announced the department will begin to reintroduce health care services in select VA facilities May 18, as states reopen from COVID-19 shutdowns.

Army General to Co-Lead ‘Operation Warp Speed’ for COVID-19 Vaccine (HERE)

• President Donald J. Trump today announced that Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna, the commander of Army Materiel Command, will co-lead an effort, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, to find a vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021.