The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is looking for public input on the implementation of its portal for recording COVID-19 data from various health institutions. HHS noted that the daily collection of COVID-19 information is crucial for identifying needs for federal support in addition to being “the most effective way to detect outbreaks”.
Read More »Biden Picks Xavier Becerra, Rochelle Walensky as HHS, CDC Heads
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Xavier Becerra and Rochelle Walensky to serve in the respective roles of secretary of health and human services (HHS) and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Becerra has been serving as California’s 33rd attorney general since 2017 while Walensky is currently the chief of Massachusetts General Hospital's division of infectious diseases.
Read More »Bipartisan Bill Seeks Unified Reporting Criteria for COVID-19 Data
A bipartisan group of representatives has introduced legislation to help improve data accuracy in COVID-19 research and other reporting activities related to the novel coronavirus to standardize COVID-19 reporting at the county, city, state and national levels.
Read More »CDC Transitioning COVID-19 Data Analysis Operations to ‘HHS Protect’ System
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is implementing a new Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) technology to replace the National Health Safety Network (NHSN) for collecting COVID-19 patient data, FedScoop reported Wednesday.
Read More »DHS S&T Creates DIY Way to Cleanse PPEs of Virus
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has created and unveiled a method that civilians can use to disinfect personal protective equipment. S&T's do-it-yourself PPE cleanup method involves the use of a programmable multicooker that allows for moist heat decontamination, a method endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DHS said Friday.
Read More »Bryan Ware: CISA Accelerates Efforts to Protect Federal Research Facilities From Nation-State Actors
Bryan Ware, assistant director at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said CISA has strengthened cyber defense measures at federal health agencies and research facilities as nation-state actors continue their attempts to compromise coronavirus vaccine research efforts, CyberScoop reported Friday.
Read More »CDC Launches Consortium for Genome Sequencing Research
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established a consortium focused on driving research into genomics sequencing to better understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission and develop contact-tracing resources.
Read More »DoD Cyber Crime Center Helps Defense Industry Monitor COVID-19 Scammers
The Department of Defense's Cyber Crime Center is monitoring phishing emails and other social engineering attempts related COVID-19 via a threat data exchange partnership with the defense industrial base, DC3 reported Monday.
Read More »Election Assistance Commission Seeks Input on Revised Voting System Certification Guidelines
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is seeking feedback on an updated set of guidelines for evaluating voting systems’ capacity to meet government standards, Federal News Network reported Monday.
Read More »CDC Opens Applications for Chief Data Officer
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking for a chief data officer to lead the Department of Health and Human Services component’s information technology modernization and public health data initiatives.
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