Coronavirus Response Update Part 2

Coronavirus Update: FDA Authorizes First Test for Patient At-Home Sample Collection (HERE)

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first diagnostic test with a home collection option for COVID-19. Specifically, the FDA re-issued the emergency use authorization(EUA) for the Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) COVID-19 RT-PCR Test to permit testing of samples self-collected by patients at home using LabCorp’s Pixel by LabCorp COVID-19 Test home collection kit.

Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas Added to Innovative SNAP Online Pilot Program (HERE)

• S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced approval of requests from Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas to provide online purchasing of food to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households. This announcement further demonstrates President Trump’s whole of America approach to fighting the coronavirus pandemic by ensuring those affected are fed.

The United States Is Assisting Pacific Island Countries to Respond to COVID-19 (HERE)

• As the leader in global health and humanitarian response to COVID-19, the United States has acted swiftly to monitor, respond to, and mitigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Pacific island countries.  The Department of State is closely coordinating with U.S. interagency partners including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DOD), and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).

Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Admits New Jersey Patients (HERE)

• The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort has begun admitting patients from hospitals in New Jersey in an effort to expand its support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts.

FEMA Programs Helping People from Coast to Coast (HERE)

• As part of the whole-of-America response to the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA is working to help disaster survivors, the homeless, and state, local, tribal and territorial governments across the country.