How Should Resources From National Stockpiles Be Managed?

The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is a national system maintained by the US federal government to deliver medical supplies during emergencies. In the past, the SNS has been used to mitigate public health consequences of tragedies, such as Hurricane Katrina and Ebola outbreaks. However, challenges in maintaining and utilizing the SNS for patient safety are prevalent. This article canvasses ways in which the SNS is accessed and suggests needed changes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use of Ebola Vaccines - Worldwide, 2021-2023.

Ebola virus disease (Ebola) is a rare but severe illness in humans, with an average case fatality rate of approximately 50%. Two licensed vaccines are currently available against Orthoebolavirus zairense, the virus that causes Ebola: the 1-dose rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (ERVEBO [Merck]) and the 2-dose regimen of Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo (Zabdeno/Mvabea [Johnson & Johnson]). The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization recommends the use of 1-dose ERVEBO during Ebola outbreaks, and in 2021, a global stockpile of ERVEBO was established to ensure equitable, timely, and targeted access to vaccine doses for future Ebola outbreaks. This report describes the use of Ebola vaccines and the role of the stockpile developed and managed by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision during 2021-2023. A total of 145,690 doses have been shipped from the ICG stockpile since 2021. However, because outbreaks since 2021 have been limited and rapidly contained, most doses (139,120; 95%) shipped from the ICG stockpile have been repurposed for preventive vaccination of high-risk groups, compared with 6,570 (5%) used for outbreak response. Repurposing doses for preventive vaccination could be prioritized in the absence of Ebola outbreaks to prevent transmission and maximize the cost-efficiency and benefits of the stockpile.

Predictors of Food and Water Stockpiling During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Latinos and Non-Latino Black People.

OBJECTIVE: The study examined factors associated with food and water stockpiling (FWS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A secondary analysis of online survey data collected in two waves: April 2020 (wave 1) and June/July 2020 (wave 2), was conducted through REDCap web application. A total of 2,271 Non-Latino Black and Latino adults (mean age: 36.8 years (SD = 16.0); 64.3% female) living in Illinois were recruited. Participants self-reported if they stockpiled food and/or water (FWS) seven days prior to survey completion because of the pandemic. Logistic regression was used to determine if each variable was associated with the odds of reporting FWS. RESULTS: Nearly a quarter (23.3%) of participants reported FWS. The adjusted model revealed that odds of FWS increase as the number of household members increased (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05-1.41). Odds of FWS were lower among participants who were not self-quarantining compared to those self-quarantining all the time (OR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.17 - 0.62). Furthermore, individuals with lower levels of concern about COVID-19 had lower odds of FWS than those extremely concerned. CONCLUSIONS: Household size, self-quarantine status, and concern about COVID-19 were significantly associated with FWS. These findings highlight the need to address the concerns of marginalized individuals to promote healthy behaviors.

The Role of Public Health Emergency Management in Biodefense: A COVID-19 Case Study.

INTRODUCTION: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on human lives as well as economic and social stability. The United States has a complicated history with biosecurity as policy making, biodefense activities, and government transparency have historically been in contention. The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 uncovered various weaknesses in the national public health infrastructure that have persisted into the current pandemic. METHODS: This study explores the biodefense and public health preparedness landscape for trends in federal support and capacity building. It also investigates the applicability of public health emergency management principles to the biodefense structure. A mixed method was utilized in this study to investigate the qualitative and quantitative factors of the research inquiry. Braun and Clarke's six phase framework for thematic analysis will assist with defining the important information from a review of the literature. The concurrent triangulation design permits that use of qualitative and quantitative data to more accurately define and analyze the relationship among the variables of interest. RESULTS: The results included the identification of 8 common themes of failure during the COVID-19 response: (1) accountable leadership, (2) statutory authorities and policies, (3) inter-agency coordination, (4) coherent data system for situational awareness, (5) strategic national stockpile and supply chain, (6) testing and surveillance, (7) health care system surge capacity and resilience, and (8) federal funds and the role of public health emergency management in the evolving landscape of biothreats, both intentional and natural. DISCUSSION: To counter the increasing biothreats, the United States must invest in revamping the biodefense infrastructure to mimic and support public health emergency preparedness initiatives which will increase our resilience to various biothreats.

Create a COVID-19 commission.

We need a definitive public reference for the history of events.

Avaliação da qualidade na gestão de estoque em laboratório clínico no município de Fortaleza, Ceará / Quality assessment in stock management in a clinical laboratory in Fortaleza Municipality, Ceará

Objetivo: Este trabalho visa discutir sobre a correta gestão de insumos em um laboratório de análises clínicas. Nesse tipo de atividade, o Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade embasa uma série de processos visando garantir a fidedignidade dos resultados, pautados em processos bem estabelecidos. A gestão de insumos e estoque é uma atividade integrada entre os diversos setores existentes na empresa, fundamental para a garantia da qualidade do exame. Dessa forma, falhas na política de qualidade podem desencadear prejuízos materiais, institucionais e humanos. Métodos: Para tanto, realizou-se análise em um laboratório clínico privado de Fortaleza, Ceará, de modo observacional, prospectivo e descritivo, desenvolvido como estudo de caso. Resultados: Verificou-se que, apesar de sistemas de gestão de estoque serem adotados, não há treinamento efetivo e documentação detalhada que norteie todos os processos do setor. Conclusão: A ausência de processos bem definidos de gestão de estoque pode ser interferente importante na correta liberação dos laudos de exames, gerando prejuízos importantes à organização e ao cliente.

Objective: This paper aims to discuss the correct management of inputs in a clinical analysis laboratory. In this type of activity, the Quality Management System is based on a series of processes aimed at guaranteeing the reliability of results, based on well-established processes. The management of inputs and stock is an integrated activity among the various sectors existing in the company, essential for ensuring the quality of the exam. Thus, failures in quality policy can trigger material, institutional and human losses. Methods: For this purpose, an analysis was carried out in a private clinical laboratory in Fortaleza, Ceará, in an observational, prospective and descriptive manner, developed as a case study. Results: It was found that, although inventory management systems are adopted, there is no effective training and detailed documentation to guide all processes in the sector. Conclusion: The absence of well-defined inventory management processes can be an important interferer in the correct release of examination reports, generating significant losses to the organization and the customer.

Vaccine nationalism and the dynamics and control of SARS-CoV-2.

Vaccines provide powerful tools to mitigate the enormous public health and economic costs that the ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic continues to exert globally, yet vaccine distribution remains unequal among countries. To examine the potential epidemiological and evolutionary impacts of "vaccine nationalism," we extend previous models to include simple scenarios of stockpiling between two regions. In general, when vaccines are widely available and the immunity they confer is robust, sharing doses minimizes total cases across regions. A number of subtleties arise when the populations and transmission rates in each region differ, depending on evolutionary assumptions and vaccine availability. When the waning of natural immunity contributes most to evolutionary potential, sustained transmission in low-access regions results in an increased potential for antigenic evolution, which may result in the emergence of novel variants that affect epidemiological characteristics globally. Overall, our results stress the importance of rapid, equitable vaccine distribution for global control of the pandemic.

Coletiva de imprensa OPAS COVID-19 - 31/03/2021

Coletiva de Imprensa OPAS COVID-19 31 de março de 2021 - áudio em Português.

Sesión informativa para la prensa sobre la COVID-19 en las Américas - 31/03/2021

Sesión informativa para la prensa sobre la COVID-19 en las Américas - audio Español.

PAHO press briefing on COVID-19 in the Americas - 03/31/2021

PAHO press briefing on COVID-19 in the Americas - 03/31/2021 - audio em English.

Conferencia de prensa de la OPS sobre COVID-19 - 31/03/2021

Conferencia de prensa de la OPS sobre COVID-19 / PAHO’s virtual press briefing on COVID-19 - audio original.

PAHO press briefing on COVID-19 - 03/31/2021

PAHO press briefing on COVID-19 - 03/31/2021 - audio French

PAHO COVID-19 response 2020