Defense Secretary and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient Mark Esper has heightened the Pentagon’s restriction level as the coronavirus outbreak continues to pose risks to personnel, Defense One reported Monday.

The Pentagon is currently at Health Protection Condition level C, which represents substantial health risks and sustained community transmission. HPCON-C is the second-highest DoD health risk designation, according to the Army Public Health Center.

Esper said that Pentagon officials may conduct medical screening activities such as temperature assessments to employees. He added that the Department of Defense has “no intent whatsoever” to restrict access to the media and will keep the Pentagon open to key employees and the press.

The DoD has already implemented telework practices and minimized staffing in response to the outbreak, according to the report.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced today that it intends to temporarily not enforce certain requirements in order to allow veterinarians to better utilize telemedicine to address animal health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The FDA recognizes the vital role veterinarians play in protecting public health. This pandemic has had impacts on many of our everyday lives and professions, and during this time, we need to provide veterinarians with the latitude to expand the use of telemedicine in the care of animals, not only pets but also the animals that produce our food," said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. 

The agency has projected to temporarily suspend enforcement of portions of the federal veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) requirements relevant to certain FDA regulations. The VCPR is the professional relationship between the veterinarian, client and the animal patient. 

The federal VCPR definition requires that veterinarians physically examine animal patients and/or make medically appropriate and timely visits to the location where the animal(s) are kept. Therefore, the federal VCPR definition cannot be met solely through telemedicine. 

In order to help veterinarians utilize telemedicine to address animal health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA does not intend to enforce the animal examination and premises visit portion of the VCPR requirements relevant to the FDA regulations governing Extralabel Drug Use in Animals and Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) drugs. 

This will allow veterinarians to prescribe drugs in an extra-label manner or authorize the use of VFD drugs without direct examination of or making visits to their patients, which will limit human-to-human interaction and potential spread of COVID-19 in the community. 

"The FDA is providing the flexibility that will help veterinarians maintain the health of animals during the pandemic, while allowing for the social distancing that is so important in limiting the further spread of coronavirus disease across the country and the world," added Hahn. 

About FDA

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

ICF has released an update on Tuesday, concerning the current impact of COVID-19 on its business, stating that the company will implement new protocols to protect employees and prevent further health afflictions.

John Wasson, ICF president, chief executive officer and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, stated, "It is too early to say with any certainty what the specific impacts on ICF may be from this unprecedented health crisis. We have implemented work from home protocols across the company to protect our staff, give them the flexibility to deal with the closure of schools and daycare facilities, and comply with shelter in place requirements in certain localities.”

ICF has postponed events and some project work requiring international travel, but its overall government business will continue. Of the remaining 35 percent of the company’s total revenue, the vast majority was generated from commercial energy markets and commercial marketing services, each of which represented roughly half of the total. 

In ICF’s commercial energy division, the company reported similar trends as in the federal government, although there are some aspects of energy efficiency programs that have been put on hold as they involve direct interaction with consumers. 

In commercial marketing services, the company reported that it has long-term implementation contracts, and will prioritize staying engaged with its customers. The other parts of commercial marketing services, including public relations and marketing technology, will likely be impacted and therefore ICF will continue to monitor the business area closely.

The company will continue to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on two small projects to provide public health messaging related to COVID-19. ICF additionally announced that it has expanded our modest syndromic surveillance activities under CDC's BioSense program to include tracking the spread of COVID-19 that is expected to allow CDC to better coordinate responses.

ICF will also support the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with its preparedness and response activities to COVID-19 through a project for its Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE). 

"While we expect challenges ahead, we believe that ICF will weather this storm relatively well in the medium to long term. We are carefully monitoring short-term impacts that we will report on in our first quarter 2020 earnings communications in early May," Wasson concluded. 

About ICF 

ICF (NASDAQ: ICFI) is a global consulting services company with over 7,000 full- and part-time employees, but we are not your typical consultants. At ICF, business analysts and policy specialists work together with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives. We combine unmatched industry expertise with cutting-edge engagement capabilities to help organizations solve their most complex challenges. Since 1969, public and private sector clients have worked with ICF to navigate change and shape the future.