Keeping you informed – COVID-19 Update

As the coronavirus persists in dominating the news cycles, I want to take a moment to ensure that you have all the latest updates about the virus and information about how to protect yourself during this evolving situation.

I recognize that there is a great deal of fear and confusion regarding this virus, and a pandemic such as this certainly warrants unease. Although coronaviruses are not new, they usually infect animals and rarely infect humans as this new strain has.

Since the outbreak, Congress and the federal government, in conjunction with state and local officials, have taken numerous steps to curb the virus from spreading to more of our Nation’s citizens. As demonstrated below, our goal is to “flatten the curve.” That is, we should slow the spread of COVID-19 so that as more cases arise, our healthcare system has time to adapt to meet demand, and medical professionals and scientists have time to develop vaccines and cures.

On March 4, I voted for and Congress passed $8.3 billion in emergency coronavirus funding for our public health agencies, which the President subsequently signed into law. New funding of $7.8 billion will be used to address this public health crisis, while $500 million will be used to replenish reserve funds that have been depleted over the past several weeks.

Additionally, this emergency funding invests over four billion dollars to make diagnostic kits more available. It allocates nearly one billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exclusively for state and local response efforts. And it allows for billions in low-interest loans to small businesses, limiting the economic impact of the disease.

Last week, the Administration also took several steps aimed at protecting the health and well-being of the American people. First, the President is putting forth a $50 billion economic assistance package to support small businesses and workers harmed by the outbreak, as well as expanding loans to businesses, deferring tax payments for certain businesses and individuals negatively impacted, and calling on Congress to pass payroll tax relief.

On March 13, the President declared the State of Emergency, thus allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to exercise the authority under the National Emergencies Act to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements of the Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children’s Health Insurance programs and of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule throughout the duration of the public health emergency declared in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

To protect the health of Americans, the Administration is bringing together government and private industry in a collaborative process to expand testing capacity and access to pharmaceuticals, general-use face masks, therapeutics, and vaccines.

Further, testing is now available in every state lab in the country, and commercial labs are now deploying tests to localities, which will help generate a dramatic increase in availability.

This week, the Trump Administration announced expanded Medicare telehealth coverage that will enable beneficiaries to receive a wider range of healthcare services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility. Medicare will now temporarily pay clinicians to provide telehealth services for beneficiaries across the entire country.

In an effort to better understand and fight COVID-19, I have included two resources that provide valuable information that you may find beneficial from the Virginia Department of Health and the CDC. While the CDC is working toward vaccines and cures, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself and others from infection:

Graphic released by the CDC on March 16, 2020. For more information, please visit coronavirus.gov.

By taking these simple steps in your day-to-day life, you are helping “flatten the curve.”

As U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said, “Caution is appropriate, preparedness is appropriate, panic is not.” If you experience symptoms or have been to an area where coronavirus is spreading, contact your doctor immediately to determine if you need screening.

Rest assured, I will continue to monitor the situation in Virginia and around the country and will work with my colleagues to ensure the full, coordinated force of the federal government is behind our efforts to stop the spread of this insidious and deadly virus.

Sincerely,

Ben Cline
Member of Congress