NEWSWIRE FAST STATS


more transmissible than other variants going around is the UK B.1.1.7 variant.


of Florida COVID-19 cases are from


50% 21%


variants, and Florida has the highest number of variant cases in the U.S.


U.S. states now have COVID-19 cases from the UK B.1.1.7 variant.


49 of U.S. households are served by municipal 80%


sewage collection systems. Quantitative SARS- CoV-2 measurements in untreated sewage can provide information on changes in total COVID-19 infection in the community.


is the higher risk of dying from COVID-19 UK B.1.1.7 variant than earlier strains, according to a new study from the University of Exeter.


64%


is the level of effectiveness the Moderna and Pfi zer vaccines have against the B.1.1.7 variant.


is the level of effectiveness the Moderna and Pfi zer vaccines have against the B.1.351 variant.


89% 49%


of farmed minks were destroyed in 100%


Denmark after it was discovered the minks transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to their farmers.


Sources: Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/wastewatersurveillance. html#what-advantages, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html


University of Exeter: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/ title_847659_en.html


Photo credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6


Abbott launches Pandemic Defense Coalition to battle future pandemics Abbott announced the formation of the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, a global scientifi c and public health partner- ship dedicated to the early detection of, and rapid response to, future pandemic threats. By connecting global centers of excel-


lence in laboratory testing, genetic sequencing and public health research, the program will identify new pathogens, ana- lyze potential risk level, rapidly develop and deploy new diagnostic testing and assess public health impact in real time. The sequences of the viruses that are found will be published in a public database so that health offi cials and laboratories can work together to identify if it’s a novel strain, or a virus that has previously been detected. This program expands upon the viral surveillance and discovery work that bbott has performed over the last three decades. The new bbott Pandemic Defense Coalition consists of global collaborators specializing in virus identifi cation, surveil- lance, sample collection, testing and data analytics. The process to identify potential new viral threats begins with physicians across the network identifying patients with unknown conditions that they cannot treat or diagnose. Next, patient samples are tested by our partners on a global scale, fol- lowed by genetic sequencing and analyses to spot trends and identify peculiarities that may indicate an emerging threat or outbreak. If a potential threat is discovered, bbott will quickly develop diagnostic testing to assist in containment efforts. bbott’s network of partners includes organizations in strategic geographic locations:


ColombiaWisconsin One-ealth Con-


sortium at the niversidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin, Colombia  Faculty of edicine, irira ospital, ahidol niversity, Bangkok, Thailand


 Institut de echerche en ant, de ur- veillance Epidmiologique et de Forma- tions, Dakar, enegal


 KIP, enomic Centre of the niversity of Kwaulu-Natal, Durban, outh frica


 ush niversity ystem for ealth, Chi- cago


 The niversity of the West Indies, ona Campus, amaica


 niversidade de  o Paulo,  o Paulo, Brazil


 Y Care, Chennai, India bbott is in talks with additional non- governmental organizations, governments and research centers of excellence regard- ing participation and collaboration.


April 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com bbott created its lobal iral urveil-


lance Program more than 25 years ago to monitor I and hepatitis viruses and identify mutations, which helps ensure the company’s diagnostic tests remain up to date and enable researchers to proactively evaluate and solve infectious disease challenges. This surveillance program will now be a part of the bbott Pandemic Defense Coalition. The company recently announced the discovery of a high prevalence of I Controllers – a group of people living with controlled I without antiretroviral medications in the Demo- cratic epublic of Congo, which could hold the key to a cure. bbott also announced the fi nding of a new strain of I in 20. Looking ahead, bbott will focus on testing and digital solutions accessible to more people in more places for many of the world’s most pressing health challenges, including infectious diseases. This work also is part of bbott’s 2030 sustainability strategy, which includes a focus on trans- forming the care of infectious diseases.


The Joint Commission returns to unannounced onsite surveys The oint Commission announced that they will return to their usual procedures prior to the pandemic. Over the last nine months, traditional onsite survey activity has been delayed or interrupted due to the restric- tions and strain on the healthcare system caused by COID-. During the past few months, The oint Commission’s account executives have reached out to organizations to determine their readiness for survey. ll available resources will be utilized to conduct onsite, unannounced accreditation surveys. Organizations should continue to moni-


tor the Notifi cation of cheduled Events section of their oint Commission Connect extranet page for notifi cation on the fi rst day of the unannounced survey. ddition- ally, the organization’s primary accredita- tion contact and chief executive offi cer will continue to receive email notifi cation of the scheduled event on the fi rst day of the unannounced survey. s a reminder, The oint Commission surveyors are considered essential work- ers and are following the most up-to-date guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The oint Commission will continue to


work with the Centers for edicare and edicaid ervices as an accrediting organi- zation with deeming authority to conduct edicare surveys by prioritizing organi- zations with accreditation due dates that are past due. n organization’s existing accreditation remains in effect until a new


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