Centers for Disease Control Will Provide $186M for COVID-19 Response

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide $186 million in additional funding to support state and local jurisdictions in responding to COVID-19.

“Testing and surveillance is a vital piece of our efforts to beat the coronavirus, and this new funding will expand our ability to track and prevent the virus’ spread across the country,” notes HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “State and local public health departments are on the frontlines of our fight against the pandemic, and these new resources will help them build the testing and surveillance capabilities needed to beat this threat.”

The CDC will use the funding to supplement an existing cooperative agreement to states and local jurisdictions identified as having the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases, as well as jurisdictions with accelerating COVID-19 infections. The funding will support lab equipment, supplies, staffing, shipping, infection control, surge staffing, monitoring of individuals, and data management.

Additionally, the funds will be used to supplement an existing cooperative agreement to state jurisdictions through the Emerging Infections Program to enhance surveillance capabilities, such as investigating and assessing the burden and severity of COVID-19, evaluating and determining risk factors and outcomes, and planning and implementing prevention strategies. These measures will build on existing programs developed for influenza and other respiratory pathogens. Funds will also be used to assess and evaluate exposed/infected healthcare personnel through clinical interviews to better identify risk factors and protective factors for COVID-19 infection, according to HHS.

On April 8, the CDC reported that New York had experienced 138,773 confirmed cases, California had 15,865 reported cases, Florida had 14,302 reported cases, and Texas had reported 8,262 cases.

States such as New York ($28 million), California ($63.3 million), Texas ($55 million), and Florida ($41.2 million), as well as local jurisdictions of Los Angeles County ($27 million) and New York City ($25 million), are on the long list to receive supplemental funding.

“Increasing the capacity of our nation’s public health infrastructure is critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” says CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD. “These funds will augment core public health capabilities, including surveillance and predictive analytics, laboratory capacity, qualified frontline deployers, and the ability to rapidly respond to emerging disease clusters in communities that currently have limited person-to-person spread of the virus.”

Keep up to date on COVID-19 and best practices for ensuring the health and safety of both patients and practitioners at: dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/covid-19/