COVID-19 vaccinations began to roll out across the nation this week, and President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden should be among the first to be vaccinated, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said to Good Morning America Dec. 15.
Dr. Fauci called their vaccinations a matter of national security and recommended they get vaccinated as soon as possible. Read more.
Here are three other updates:
1. Senators are attempting to pass a measure to ban surprise billing in the latest round of COVID-19 relief legislation. The bill received bipartisan support, but it's ultimately up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to determine whether to include it in a relief package. Read more.
2. More than 24 state attorneys general urged HHS to address drugmaker policies denying 340B discounts to hospitals using contract pharmacies. The attorneys general argued it's unlawful to not provide discounts to these hospitals and that HHS should force drugmakers to follow the 340B statue. Read more.
3. HHS entered into a contract to secure an additional 100 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine if it's approved by the FDA. The U.S. already was under contract to acquire 100 million doses. Read more. The government is also attempting to acquire another 100 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. committed to buying 100 million doses, and previously turned down Pfizer's offers to sell the government more. Read more.