COVID-19 Update
May 18, 2020

IowaBio wants to provide our members useful information during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This newsletter compiles information on state, federal and industry action to combat the virus and its impacts.

If your company is helping respond to COVID-19, IowaBio wants to know about it. Please, send any information about what your biotechnology company or organization is doing to help, to Jessica Hyland at Jessica@iowabio.org.

If IowaBio can assist you in getting information out, connecting with public officials, or support your company in another way, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Past IowaBio COVID-19 Update newsletters are now available at www.iowabio.org/COVID19 and can be found under the Industry News tab on the IowaBio website.

Iowa Update

Currently IDPH has reported 14,651 Iowans have tested positive, up 976 from our last update Friday morning, with a total of 100,241 Iowans tested. Since our last update 33 more deaths were reported, bringing the total to 351 deaths. 7,154 have recovered. 37 long term care facilities have experienced outbreaks, up two from our last report. Statistics and graphs on current hospitalizations can be found here.

During Friday’s press conference, the Governor said positive case counts have stabilized. Days to double continues to improve, which speaks to the spread of the virus. They continue to prioritize long term care facility testing. PPE stockpile is in a good place right now, and demand has slowed, while orders the state placed are coming in, she said.

The Governor fielded a question about Multisystem Inflamatory Syndrome (MIS-C) which affects children and has potentially been linked to COVID-19, but said there are no reported cases here. IDPH is keeping a close eye on the situation, she said.

Federal Legislation

Supplemental IV – The Heroes Act (HR 6800)

Timeline/Process/Politics: The House passed the Heroes Act by a vote of 208-199, with 14 Democrats voting against and one Republican (Rep. Peter King) voting for the bill. Friday, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Pramila Jayapal announced that she would be voting no but would not be whipping votes against the bill. The majority of Democratic votes against the bill came from moderate Democrats. However, nine members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (including Jayapal) voted against the rule for the bill.

Leader McConnell has continued to assert that he does not see the need for moving forward with another relief package until CARES funding has been fully disbursed. However, Republican governors, local officials, and even the Chair of the Federal Reserve have urged Congress to pass a robust bill and move quickly with fiscal relief. With House passage of the bill, the ball is now in the Senate’s court, though it’s unclear how quickly it will move. After votes on the House bill, Leader Hoyer said the House will return for votes on May 27, adding pressure to finalize a deal before then.  

Policy: House Democrats introduced the long-awaited Heroes Act early last week and voted on the bill Friday evening. Notably absent was any provisions regarding liability protections for businesses. Leader McConnell is moving forward with drafting liability protection language. All liability protection issues are now flowing through Sen. Cornyn’s office, as his staff has begun to draft language.

See text (as of 5/12/2020) here. Section by section here. One pager here. State and Local one pager here. NCAI’s summary on tribal provisions here.

Democrats made some changes to the bill through a manager’s amendment in Rules Committee. Manager’s amendment here. House Rules Committee report here. See below for a summary of the changes the manager’s amendment made.

• Adds $39 million for rental assistance in rural areas.
• Provides greater flexibility for certain Labor and Health and Human services funding items.
• Adds a risk mitigation program within HHS.
• Adds a non-discrimination provision for applicants for coronavirus relief legislation.
• Prohibits the use of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding to be used for lobbyists salaries.
• Removes eligibility to PPP and Main Street Lending Facility for 501(c)4s that have engaged in election and campaign activities.
• Expands the forgiveness safe harbor for PPP.
• Allows use of PPP funds for and and forgiveness of expenses for PPE/other equipment necessary to protect the safety of employees.
• Makes student debt cancellation provisions more targeted. Would provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for “economically distressed borrowers”, defined as those who (as of March 12, 2020):
  • Had a monthly payment of $0 under income-based repayment;
  • Was in default;
  • Had a payment that was 90 days or more past due;
  • Payment was already suspended due to forbearance options already available like economic hardship, unemployment, or cancer treatment.
• Reduces the additional amount for Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act benefits from $1 billion to $750 million, extends benefits for railroad workers to June 30, 2021.
• Reduces the amount for grants to community financial institutions from $1 billion for $250 million.
• Creates a wildlife-borne diseases epidemiology grant program through the Fish and Wildlife Service. Grants will go to States, Territories, Tribes, and DC.
• Includes employers of domestic workers in the employee retention credit.
• Alters treatment of DC to be treated as a county with regard to receiving local government relief funding.
• Require the Director of National Science Foundation to conduct a study on the spread of COVID-19-related disinformation.
• Requires every federal agency that funds or oversees scientific research to develop, adopt, and enforce a scientific integrity policy (Scientific 2 Integrity Act - Title XVI).

Passed Legislation

New Implementation Information and Guidance

• 5/14 – Treasury issued a data request to disburse the second round of funding for tribes in the Coronavirus Relief Fund. The data request includes information on employees and expenditures. Portal will likely open sometime next week. More information here.
• 5/15 – Treasury released the loan forgiveness application for businesses that have received loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. Application here.

Previously Reported Implementation Information and Guidance

Small Business Loans & Treasury Main Street Lending

• 5/11 – SBA released updated PPP statistics, including recent state by state information here.
• 5/8 – SBA’s Inspector General released a report on the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program. The report found the Administration’s administration of the program did not align with the law in four ways: prioritization of underserved/rural markets, loan proceeds eligibility for forgiveness, guidance on loan deferment, and registration of loans. Report here.
• 5/7 -- The Washington Post reported that the SBA has imposed a new loan limit on the department’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), moving the loan limit from $2 million to $150,000. The department also announced that it would only be accepting applications from agricultural businesses onward.
• 5/6 – Treasury released an updated FAQ for the Paycheck Protection Program. FAQ here.
• 5/3 – Treasury and SBA released a data set for the most recent tranche of P3 funds. Data here.
• 4/30 – The IRS issued guidance that most expenses funded by forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans are non-deductible for federal income tax purposes.
• 4/30 – The Federal Reserve released the term sheets and other information relating to its expansion of scope and eligibility of the Main Street Lending Program. Term sheets and other information here. Other information on other facilities and programs here.
• 4/29 – SBA announced that from 4:00-11:49pm on 4/29, SBA systems would only accept loans from lending institutions with asset sizes less than $1 billion dollars. The move was aimed at ensuring access to the PPP loan program for smaller lenders and their customers.
• 4/28 – SBA announced it would no longer accept PPP loan applications submitted by robotic processing systems.
• Treasury released an interim final rule for the Paycheck Protection Program on how lenders will calculate loan amounts for employers with seasonal employees. Rule here.
• 4/24 – SBA issued a procedural guidance on participation sales here.
• 4/24 – SBA released an interim final rule on requirements for Promissory Notes, Authorizations, Affiliation, and Eligibility. Interim Final Rule here. Additional eligibility criteria and requirements for certain loans here.
• 4/24 – Data on Economic Injury Disaster Loans here, EIDL Advance here.
• 4/23 – The Treasury Department asked all publicly traded companies that received funds under the program to return the funds within two weeks.
• The Treasury Department released an interim final rule on the small business provisions in the bill. See here for a memo Cornerstone put together on the interim final rule.
• Treasury FAQs on the Paycheck Protection Program
  • Top-line overview of the program here
  • Lender information here, Borrower information here, borrower application here

Individual and Business Tax Relief

• IRS guidance on deferral of payroll taxes here
• House Ways and Means factsheet on Economic Impact Rebate portal here
• IRS’s FAQ page on individual economic relief here
• Treasury Guidance on Employee Retention Tax Credit here
• Treasury FAQ on Employee Retention Tax Credit here (updated 4/29)

Public Health Systems, Education, and Healthcare

• 5/13 – HRSA announced the winners of $15 million in telehealth grants that were authorized through the CARES Act. Press release here. Awards here.
• 5/1 – As part of the $100 billion dedicated to hospitals and health providers in CARES, HHS is distributing funding to “hotspot” hospitals and providers. HHS will be distributing $12 billion to 395 hospitals who provided inpatient care for 100 or more COVID-19 patients through April 10, 2020. $2 billion of the funding will be distributed based on low-income/uninsured data (Medicare and Medicaid disproportionate share and uncompensated care payments).
• 4/27 – Outline of the Provider Relief Fund with additions from COVID 3.5 here.
• 4/27 – Education Sec. Betsy DeVos announced that more than $300 million in discretionary grant funds will be available for states to use to create adaptable, innovative learning opportunities for K-12 and postsecondary learners in response to COVID-19. The grants will be funded through the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF), authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
• 4/26 – CMS announced that it is reevaluating the amounts that will be paid under its Accelerated Payment Program (AAP) and suspending its Advance Payment Program to Part B suppliers effective immediately. Press release here.
  • The announcement came as a surprise to Democrats, who were actively negotiating with the department officials on modifying the program.
• 4/23 – As part of negotiations on 3.5, the Administration made commitments on how the next $60 billion in the health relief fund will be distributed. HHS has committed that it will send out an additional $60 billion dollars in the coming weeks, much of it coming within the next 10 days.
• 4/23 – As part of negotiations on 3.5, the Administration made commitments on changes to Medicare advance payment policies. The administration committed that, by the end of this week, Secretary Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Meadows will release a letter stating that they will:
  • Use their administrative authority to reduce the interest rate down from what is currently 10.25 percent to a rate that is more in line with a traditional federal interest rate.
  • Use their administrative authority to extend the repayment period beyond 12 months.
  • Work with Congress and support legislation in Corona 4 that will place the liability for these payments in Treasury’s General Revenue fund, rather than the Medicare Hospital Insurance and Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Funds. The expansion of these programs must not adversely affect Medicare’s solvency or result in premium increases for seniors.
• 4/22 – CARES Act Provider Relief Fund overview here. State by state breakdown of first payment here.
• 4/9 – Secretary DeVos indicated that she would be moving to "immediately distribute" the $6 billion in CARES for emergency financial aid grants to college students. The grants can be used by college students for technology, course materials, food, housing, and healthcare. DeVos distributed the funding to colleges, which are meant to then distribute the aid among students. See here for the specific allocations for each college.

Economic Stabilization

• 4/30 – Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced the FAA will begin awarding the AIP and other discretionary grants funding through the CARES Act. Press release here. Complete list of grants here. Map of airports receiving funding here.
• 4/10 – Treasury Q&A on Loans to Air Carriers and Eligible Businesses and National Security Businesses here. Loan application here.
• 3/30 – The Treasury Department released guidance on payroll support to airline industry employees, and on loans to the airline industry and businesses critical to national security. Guidance for payroll support here. Guidance on procedures and minimum requirements for loans here. Treasury press release here.

State, Local, and Tribal Government Funding

• 5/14 – Treasury issued a data request to disburse the second round of funding for tribes in the Coronavirus Relief Fund. The data request includes information on employees and expenditures. Portal will likely open sometime next week. More information here.
• 5/12 – Treasury released its list of payments to states and qualifying localities for the Coronavirus Relief Fund. List here.
• 5/8 – Treasury still has a remaining $3.2 billion to distribute among tribes and plans plans to submit a new data request soon, with a portal open soon after. The next round of funding will be based on employment and expenditure data of Tribes and tribally-owned entities.
• 5/5 – Treasury released distribution details regarding the tribal portion of the Coronavirus Release Fund. The first 60% of the fund will be distributed to tribes based on population used in the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) and will include a floor of $100,000. The remaining 40% will be distributed based on the number of individuals employed by the Tribe, including employees of tribally owned entities. Treasury still needs to collect and verify employment data before distributing the second round of funding. Amounts for ANCs will not be distributed, as litigation is still pending. Press release here. Details here.
  • More than a dozen tribes have sued the Treasury Department over its guidance identifying Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) as eligible entities for the fund. Last Wednesday, Secretary Mnuchin said that the department would not be releasing funding until Tuesday, April 28 – two days after the deadline outlined in the CARES Act. The court on Monday preliminarily enjoined Treasury from disbursing funds to ANCs.
• 5/5 – Treasury released an updated FAQ regarding distribution of CARES Act state/local funds. FAQ here.
• 4/27 – USDA announced that Kansas and Virginia have been approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which provides assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals dealing with school closures.
• 4/22 – Treasury issued guidance on the state/local/tribal governments fund here. The guidance further defines what expenses qualify as “necessary expenditures” and provides examples as well as examples of ineligible expenses.
• 4/13 – Treasury launched its web portal for payments to state, local, and tribal governments. Treasury announced that eligible government entities must provide required information by Friday, April 17 to receive payment within the 30-day window allowed under CARES and those that miss that deadline may not receive funding. Submission page here. Some highlights from the announcement below:
  • Funds are only allowed to be used for expenses which
    • Are necessary expenses during the coronavirus emergency,
    • Were not accounted in the most recent budget (as of March 27, 2020), and
    • Were incurred between 3/1/2020 – 12/30/2020.
  • Eligible local governments are those below the state level (county, municipality etc.) with a population higher than 500,000. See here for data sources and the distribution methodology.  See here for a list of eligible local government units.
  • Amounts paid to governments will be based on population and the amounts allocated to states will be reduced by the total amount provided to local governments in the state. 

Oversight

• 5/7 – The remaining members of the House Select Committee on Coronavirus Crisis were named. Minority Whip Scalise’s priorities for the committee here. Full Committee membership below:
  • Chair Jim Clyburn (D-SC) – Chair
  • Maxine Waters (D-CA)
  • Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
  • Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
  • Bill Foster (D-IL)
  • Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
  • Andy Kim (D-NJ)
  • Steve Scalise (R-LA) – Ranking Member
  • Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
  • Rep Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
  • Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN)
  • Rep. Mark Green (R-TN)
• 4/29 – Speaker Pelosi announced the Democratic members of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, to be chaired by Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.

Supplemental 3.5 – Interim Emergency Coronavirus Relief, formally titled “Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act” (HR 266)
The President signed the bill into law on April 24. Text here. Section by section here. Summary of hospital and testing provisions here. DPCC one pager here. Senate Democrats summary of health provisions. Overview of commitments regarding health funding and Medicare advance payments the Administration made as part of negotiations.
 
Supplemental III – Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
After a unanimous vote by the Senate, the House passed the bill on March 27 and the President signed the bill into law shortly after. Final text here. Democratic summary here. Republican section by section here.
 
Supplemental II – Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR 6201)
The Senate passed the House bill on March 18 and the President signed the bill into law that evening. Bill text here. Fact sheet here. Bill section by section here. A summary of paid leave provisions, incorporating changes made by technical correction, is here.
 
Supplemental I – Coronavirus Supplemental
Signed by the President March 6. Text here, summary here.
 
Congress

Session: The Senate returned two weeks ago and the House had planned votes on Friday. After the vote, Leader Hoyer said the House would return to vote on FISA legislation and possibly coronavirus-related legislation the week of May 27.

Hearings and Meetings: The Senate held the first in-person hearings, with limited attendance and required social distancing protocols.

Appropriations: While there is no specific markup schedule set, HAC still hopes to begin markups this month. The plan remains to move through COVID Phase 4 before turning to FY21. The bills are almost all of the way there and each subcommittee is due to give final briefs to the full committee front office. We still expect a rapid-fire markup process.  The hope is that all 12 subcommittees can go through subcommittee markups over the course of a week – whenever the markups begin – with most of the full committee markups in the following week. Both majority and minority committee staff would like to rely minimally on remote procedures and are planning to do markups in larger than normal hearing rooms (Cannon Caucus Room or CVC theater) to accommodate proper social distancing. The expected order is the following: LHHS; AG; CJS; SFOPs; E&W; DOD; MilCon; FSGG; Interior; THUD; Homeland; and Leg Branch. HAC-D will be limited in marking up the classified portion of the bill, as staff cannot do so remotely and will need to complete it upon return to their offices.
 
The FY21 Senate Appropriations schedule has officially slipped. They are no longer saying bills will be marked up prior to July 4, and the timing is likely delayed a minimum of 3 weeks. Chairman Shelby late last week said he’d like to start marking up bills in June, but that the Homeland Security and VA/MILCON bills might not be marked up due to no agreement on 302b allocations. As for caps, Senate Republicans have reached an agreement among themselves to support exempting a Veterans Affairs health care program from budget caps. The agreement still needs sign off from the White House. This move could free up $11 billion for other non-defense discretionary spending priorities.
 
NDAA: HASC intends to schedule the markup once the House schedule is clear. Both HASC and SASC are looking to markup NDAA 2021 the week of June 8, with the goal to have a bill to floor before the 4th of July recess. Dates could slip depending on availability of floor time. No SASC hearings are expected until after NDAA markup. HASC finished drafting the Chairman’s Mark two weeks ago and SASC finished drafting last week. Both are reviewing the draft and will be making final tweaks over next two weeks.
 
Remote voting/virtual protocols: This evening, the House passed the McGovern-Lofgren resolution (H.Res 965) to allow proxy voting and remote hearings and markups. The House passed the bill by a party line vote (217-189). House Republicans have not been enthusiastic about the prospect of remote markups and Floor action.

Members of Congress in Quarantine or Treatment (new additions in bold)
Note: It has been over a month since a member of Congress has tested positive for COVID-19.

Tested Positive (0)

Currently Self-Quarantined (1): Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Recovered (7): Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC), Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL)

Completed Quarantine (37): Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS), Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX), Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), Rep. David Price (D-NC), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)

Other Federal Actions

• Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue, Labor Sec. Gene Scalia, NIH Director Francis Collins, HRSA Administrator Thomas Engels, and FDA's Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks are all joining the White House Coronavirus Task Force. According to Vice President Pence, the task force is now focused on getting Americans back to work and allowing businesses to reopen. 
• The White House announced the details of Operation Warp Speed, an effort to dramatically shorten the development timeline for COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics and get them to the front lines as quickly as possible. The project's chief operating officer will be four-star General Gustave Perna, and former head of GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine's division, Moncef Slaoui, will serve as chief scientist.
• Here is this week’s COVIDView from CDC, a weekly summary and interpretation of key indicators that have been adapted to track the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
• The CDC published a series of flowcharts to provide guidance to state and local governments, schools and child care services, restaurants, and others regarding when and how to safely relax social distancing measures for various aspects of society.
• The CDC will award $10.25 billion in funding to jurisdictions using funds from the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. These funds will be directed to states, localities, and territories to develop, purchase, administer, process, and analyze COVID-19 tests, conduct surveillance, trace contacts and related activities
• The CDC continues to update and publish additional COVID-19 documents to its dashboard. Today, the CDC published updated information about worker safety and support, planning for colleges and universities, correctional and detention facilities, and an air travel toolkit for airline partners (among other resources). 
• Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue today announced the extension of three nationwide waivers, giving child nutrition program operators flexibility to continue feeding children while promoting social distancing and keeping families safe during COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, schools and local program sponsors have used flexibilities provided by USDA to find creative ways to feed kids, such as setting up drive-thru pick-ups and delivering meals on bus routes. With the extension of these waivers, these innovative models can continue, without interruption, while state and local social distancing orders remain in place. 
• There are more COVID-19 hearings slated to take place in Congress next week. Memos will be available upon request:
  • Thursday (5/21) 9:30 AM – Senate Aging Hearing: "Caring for seniors amid the COVID-19 crisis"
  • Tuesday (5/19) 12:00 PM – House Appropriations VA Dept. Hearing: "Response to COVID-19"
• Today, the FDA issued an updated At-A-Glance that provides a quick look at facts, figures, and highlights of the agency's COVID-19 response efforts.
• The FDA issued a Consumer Update, Coronavirus Testing Basics, to provide information about the different types of tests available and the steps involved in obtaining results. 
• The FDA published Contacts for Medical Devices During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a detailed list of email addresses that may be used to ask questions about COVID-19 related to specific devices, EUA's, or guidance documents.
• The FDA will host a virtual Town Hall on May 20th at 12:15 PM for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers to help answer questions about the updated COVID-19 diagnostics policy. 

Updates from the States

• Out of the cases under investigation detected by U.S. surveillance, there are 1,467,065 total cases and 88,709 deaths The CDC data closes out the day before reporting.
• In Michigan, armed protesters once again gathered at the statehouse to oppose the ongoing statewide stay-at-home order. The gathering was reportedly smaller than previous protests. Michigan’s stay-at-home order is scheduled to expire on May 28th. 
• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) extended the state of emergency to June 15th.
• Updates on lockdowns/reopening:
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced that gyms and fitness centers throughout the state can reopen on Monday, and restaurants and retail stores will be allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity.
  • Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's (R) order closing non-essential businesses is set to expire Sunday, but he said it will be extended until Monday to allow the Reopening Advisory Board to unveil its four-phase approach to reopening the state.
  • New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that the state's stay-at-home order will remain in place until May 28th. The order also extended several emergency "suspensions" and "modifications" of laws through June 13th. Gov. Cuomo added that beaches in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware will open at 50 percent capacity Memorial Day weekend. 
  • Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) announced Friday, new criteria for moving the state forward into Phase 2 of reopening the economy.
  • Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said he plans to lift capacity restrictions on restaurants and large attractions in most of the state.
  • Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) has lifted restrictions in 13 counties, including the Pittsburgh area, and announced that 12 more counties could reopen starting May 22nd. 
• Useful state data:
  • The NYT is tracking which states are reopening and which are still shut down.
  • These charts show cumulative coronavirus cases and deaths for metropolitan areas over time.
  • Use Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 U.S. map as a resource for media, policymakers and communities to view a collection of critical public health data in one online destination and better understand and track the COVID-19 pandemic in populations both large and small across the country.
  • NASHP has developed a COVID-19 State Action Center which serves as a state-level policy dashboard. Governing is also keeping a running tally of coronavirus news and impacts at the intersection of the health and economic crises in the states and localities.
  • This site from the Kaiser Family Foundation provides state-level information on cases/deaths, social distancing measures, health policy actions, and more.
  • This resource from Bloomberg Law is a database of State Quarantine and Public Health Laws related to the COVID-19 response.
  • This series of maps shows how states are responding to COVID-19, and this tracker, created and maintained by MultiState Associates, has an up-to-date list of executive orders and various travel restrictions.
  • Finally, this site offers COVID-19 projections assuming full social distancing and can be broken down by state.

International Affairs

• Slovenia declared an end to its COVID-19 pandemic late Thursday night. Along with lifting social distancing measures, Slovenia also removed the mandatory 7-day quarantine for travelers arriving from Europe that had been in place since mid-April.
• Africa could face as many as 250 million COVID-19 cases and 190,000 deaths across Africa in the first year of the pandemic, according to a recently published modeling study. As of April 29th, 45 of the 47 countries in the WHO Africa Region have reported cases of COVID-19.
• Chile's capital city, Santiago, has been placed under complete lockdown with a mandatory quarantine imposed for the entire city after a 60 percent increase in COVID-19 incidence. 
• COVID-19 cases have reportedly been detected in individuals living in or near Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. These camps are home to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees, and one expert estimates that the population density could be 8 times that of Wuhan, China.
• Italy's Lombardy region will begin to open shops, restaurants, and hair salons on Monday. 
• In Haiti, the stigma surrounding COVID-19 has become the "greatest danger" in controlling community transmission. 
• Global Cases:  4,731,987        Total Deaths:  315,496

Lifestyle, Science, and Economy

• The Federal Reserve said industrial production, a measure of factory, mining, and utility output, decreased a seasonally adjusted 11.2 percent in April from the prior month.
• According to recent government data, retail sales dropped by 16.4 percent in April after dropping over 8 percent in March. This is the biggest two-month plunge on record. 
  • J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy today, the largest retailer to do so thus far. 
• Retail workers across the country are facing violence while trying to enforce public health guidelines in their stores. A woman in Pennsylvania was punched in the face by a man refusing to wear a mask, a security guard in Michigan was shot and killed after insisting a customer put on a mask, and an employee in California wound up with a broken arm after helping to remove two customers who would not wear masks. 
• Recent data show that women have so far been more vulnerable to job losses, because sectors with more women, such as education, leisure, and hospitality, have been hardest hit by social-distancing measures.
• Air Canada will be reducing its workforce by 50-60 percent after having to reduce flight schedules by 95 percent. 
• U.S. officials are preparing to begin checking passengers’ temperatures at roughly a dozen airports as soon as next week, as the coronavirus pandemic has heightened travel anxieties.
• Continue to check out the NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis’s (OPA) expert-curated portfolio of COVID-19 publications and preprints. The portfolio includes peer-reviewed articles from PubMed and preprints from medRxiv, bioRxiv, ChemRxiv, and arXiv. It is updated daily with the latest available data and enables users to explore and analyze the rapidly growing set of advances in COVID-19 research.
• Forbes is keeping a running list of all major international airline COVID-19-related change and cancellation policies.
• RetailDive tracks store reopenings in the U.S. 

Helpful Articles/Media

• Daily WHO Situation Report (5/15)
• On May 19th, ASTHO, Big Cities Health Coalition, NACCHO, and NASOMH will host COVID-19 and Health Equity: A Response and Recovery Tele-Townhall. State, local, and non-profit leaders will discuss barriers in the pandemic response and discuss strategies to ensure equity is at the core of America's response to COVID-19. Details and registration can be found here.
• Watch a video replay of Clinical Trials in Public Health Emergencies: the Ebola and COVID Experiences
• The NIH COVID-19 Scientific Interest Group is announced its next lecture, "Sailing Close to the Breeze: Hospital Epidemiology in the COVID-19 Pandemic," by Tara N. Palmore, M.D., Hospital Epidemiologist, NIH Clinical Center. This lecture will be on Wednesday, May 20th, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. You can view it here. 
• NIH Director's Blog: COVID-19 Brings Health Disparities Research to the Forefront
• Soaring Prices, Rotting Crops: Coronavirus Triggers Global Food Crisis
• From CDC's MMWR: Identification and Monitoring of International Travelers During the Initial Phase of an Outbreak of COVID-19 — California, February 3–March 17, 2020
• Virus Survivors Could Suffer Severe Health Effects for Years
• A strategic approach to COVID-19 vaccine R&D, with Drs. Tony Fauci and Francis Collins as co-authors
• When Coronavirus Hits Food Deserts
• In a virtual town hall with the American Academy of Family Physicians, ASTHO CMO Marcus Plescia presented on the intersect between public and private sectors in the COVID-19 response.
• Rapid COVID-19 vaccine development
• Giving blood thinners to severely ill Covid-19 patients is gaining ground
• Anne Schuchat, MD, Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), discusses evolution of CDC guidance and latest developments in the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Watch an NIH video about COVID-19 Diagnostics: The Challenge of Rapid, High-Volume Detection of SARS-CoV2
• Effect of Convalescent Plasma Therapy on Viral Shedding and Survival in COVID-19 Patients
• What Antibody Studies Can Tell You — and More Importantly, What They Can’t
• Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals (this would change the reopening of large buildings if found to be consistent)
• From Dr. Tom Frieden: How to reopen society as soon and safely as possible
• The Other COVID Risks: How Race, Income, ZIP Code Influence Who Lives Or Dies
• Examining the social impact of COVID-19
• The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use
• COVID-19 exacerbating inequalities in the US
• The characteristics of household transmission of COVID-19
• The SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain elicits a potent neutralizing response without antibody-dependent enhancement
• Antibiotic treatment for COVID-19 complications could fuel resistant bacteria
• Rapid coronavirus test, commonly used in U.S., may miss infections in some situations
• Visualizing Speech-Generated Oral Fluid Droplets with Laser Light Scattering
• Coronavirus Vaccine Prospects
• Former CDC Director Shares Lessons Learned From Ebola Outbreak
• ‘We need an army’: Hiring of coronavirus trackers seen as key to curbing disease spread
• Suicide Mortality and Coronavirus Disease 2019—A Perfect Storm?
• FEMA’s How to Help website.  
• Safety at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: How to Keep our Oncology Patients and Healthcare Workers Safe
• The effective use of telemedicine to save lives and maintain structure in a health care system
• Projecting hospital utilization during the COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S.
• Johns Hopkins data capture.
• Other tracking data here.