Agenda - Council Work Session - 03/08/2022

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4350 Federal Register/Vol. 87, No. 18/Thursday, January 27, 2022/Rules and Regulations feedback from relevant state and local In December 2020,the Food and Drug funds to support a vaccine incentive agencies,such as public health Administration (FDA) authorized program,providing$100 gift cards to departments or social services COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, residents at community vaccination departments.In both cases,recipients and soon thereafter,mass vaccination in clinics. The program aimed to target should consider the quality of the the United States began.At the time of communities with high public health research, data,and applicability of the interim final rule publication in May needs.43 Another recipient reported that analysis to their determination. 2021,the number of daily new it is partnering with multiple agencies, In designing a program or service that infections was steeply declining as organizations, and providers to responds to a disproportionately rapid vaccination campaigns progressed distribute COVID-19 vaccinations to impacted class, a recipient must first across the country. By summer 2021, homebound residents in assisted living identify the impact and then identify an COVID-19 cases had fallen to their facilities.44 appropriate response. To assess lowest level since early months of the State,local,and Tribal governments disproportionate impact,recipients pandemic,when testing was scarce. have also continued to execute other should rely on data or research that However,throughout late summer and aspects of a wide-ranging public health measures the public health or negative early fall,the Delta variant, a more response,including increasing access to economic impact.An assessment of the infectious and transmittable variant of COVID-19 testing and rapid at-home effects of a response (e.g., survey data on the SARS—CoV-2 virus,sparked yet tests,contact tracing, support for levels of resident support for various another surge.From June to early individuals in isolation or quarantine, potential responses)is not a substitute September,the seven-day moving enforcement of public health orders, for an assessment of the impact average of reported cases rose from new public communication efforts, experienced by a particular class.Data 12,000 to 165,000.39 public health surveillance (e.g., about the appropriateness or desirability As of December 2021,COVID-19 in monitoring case trends and genomic of a response may be used to assess the total has infected over 50 million and sequencing for variants), enhancement reasonableness of a response, once an killed over 800,000 Americans.40 to health care capacity through impact or disproportionate impact has Preventing and mitigating the spread of alternative care facilities,and been identified but should not be the COVID-19 continues to require a major enhancement of public health data basis for assessing impact. public health response from federal, systems to meet new demands or scaling state,local, and Tribal governments. needs. 2.Public Health g State,local,and Tribal governments First,state,local,and Tribal Background governments across the country have have also supported major efforts to On January 21, 2020,the Centers for mobilized to support the national prevent COVID-19 spread through Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) vaccination campaign. As of December safety measures at key settings like identified the first case of novel 2021,more than 80 percent of adults nursing homes,schools,congregate coronavirus in the United States.37 have received at least one dose,with living settings, dense worksites, Since that time, and through present more than 470 million total doses incarceration settings, and in other day,the United States has faced administered.41 Additionally,more than public facilities. This has included, for numerous waves of the virus that have 15 million children over the age of 12 example,implementing infection brought acute strain on health care and have received at least one dose of the prevention measures or making public health systems. At various points vaccine and over 47 million people have ventilation improvements. in the pandemic,hospitals and received a booster dose.42 Vaccines for In particular, state,local,and Tribal emergency medical services have seen younger children, ages 5 through 11, governments have mounted significant significant influxes of patients;response have been approved and are reaching efforts to safely reopen schools. A key personnel have faced shortages of communities and families across the factor in school reopening is the ability personal protective equipment;testing country.As new variants continue to to implement COVID-19 mitigation for the virus has been scarce; and emerge globally,the national effort to strategies such as providing masks and congregate living facilities like nursing administer vaccinations and other other hygiene resources,improving air- homes have seen rapid spread. COVID-19 mitigation strategies will be quality and ventilation,increasing Since the initial wave of the COVID— a critical component of the public outdoor learning and eating spaces, 19 pandemic,the United States has health response. testing and contact tracing protocols, faced several additional major waves In early reporting on uses of SLFRF and a number of other measures.45 For that continued to impact communities funds,recipients have indicated that example, one recipient described plans and stretch public health services. The they plan to put funds to immediate use to use SLFRF funds to further invest in summer 2020 wave impacted to support continued vaccination school health resources that were communities in the south and campaigns.For example, one recipient critical components of school reopening southwest. As the weather turned colder has indicated that it plans to use SLFRF and reducing the spread of COVID-19 in and people spent more time indoors,a schools.Those investments include the wave throughout fall and winter 2020 19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, increasing school nurses and social impacted communities in almost every by State/Territory,https://covid.cdc.govlcovid-data- region of the country as the virus tracker/#trends_dailytrendscases(last visited 43 Columbus,Ohio Recovery Plan,https:// December 7,2021). www.columbus. ov/recover /. reached a point of uncontrolled spread g y and over 3,000 people died per day due 40Id. 44 Luzerne County,Pennsylvania Recovery Plan, p p p Y Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.luzemecounty.orgIDocumentCenterl to COVID-19.38 COVID Data Tracker,http://www.covid.cdc.govl Vie w/263041Final-Interim-Recovery-Plan- covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home(last visited Perform ance-Report-83121. 37 Press Release,Centers for Disease Control and December 31,2021). 45 This includes implementing mitigation Prevention,First Travel-related Case of 2019 Novel 41 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strategies consistent with the Centers for Disease Coronavirus Detected in United States(Jan.21, COVID Data Tracker:COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Control and Prevention's(CDC)Guidance for 2020),https://www.cdc,gov/media/releases/2020/ United States,https://covid.cdc.govlcovid-data- COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools(November p0121-novel-coronavirus-travel-case.html. tracker/#vaccinations(last visited December 7, 5,2021),available at https://www.cdc.govl 38 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools- COVID Data Tracker:Trends in Number of COVID— 42Id. childcare/k-12-guidance.html.