The New York Times: Vaccine critics received over $ 1 million in pandemic relief loans

The paycheck protection program’s flexible rules have made it possible for virtually any small business or corporation in the United States to qualify for a government-backed relief loan. … Now the federal loan program has drawn criticism for granting loans to organizations that have challenged vaccine safety. … The groups that received the loans are Children’s Health Defense, an organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr .; the Informed Consent Action Network; the National Vaccine Information Center; Mercola.com Health Resources and Mercola Consulting Services, both affiliated with prominent vaccine skeptic Joseph Mercola; and the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center, a medical practice run by Sherri Tenpenny, physician and author whose books include “Saying No to Vaccines: A Resource Guide for All Ages”. (Cowley, 1/18)

The Washington Post: Trump administration bailed out leading anti-vaccine groups during pandemic

Five leading anti-vaccine organizations that are known to spread misleading information about the coronavirus have received more than $ 850,000 in loans from the Federal Paycheck Protection Program, raising questions about why the government is giving back. money to groups actively opposing his agenda and seeking to undermine the health public during a critical time. … Several of these organizations’ Facebook pages have been sanctioned by the social network, including banning the purchase of advertising, for pushing disinformation about the coronavirus. (Dwoskin and Gregg, 1/18)

Stat: Trump’s HHS Delays Again Monitoring Covid-19 Funds For Hospitals

The Department of Health and Human Services has acted at lightning speed to send healthcare providers more than $ 100 billion in Covid-19 relief grants – but is slow to hold them accountable for how from which those funds were spent. (Cohrs, 1/19)

In other news from the Trump administration –

Politico: Trump Admin Appeals to Private Company to Review Certain Covid-19 Tests

The Department of Health and Human Services is paying a private company to review the accuracy of certain Covid-19 tests – the latest example of the department’s political leadership trying to bypass Food and Drug Administration scientists. The idea behind the last-minute contract, announced days before President Donald Trump left, is that the HHS would use the review to issue emergency use authorizations for testing without FDA input. (Lim, 1/17)

The Washington Post: Veterans Affairs workers say they need more support to fight Covid-19

As covid-19 ravages the country at a record rate, many Veterans Affairs employees say they lack the support they need to fight the disease. An investigation by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents VA workers, indicates that most staff were not informed when coworkers contracted the coronavirus, about half were not advised that patients had covid-19 before health care providers served them, and some workers did not have adequate personal protective equipment to protect against infection. (Davidson, 1/18)

NPR: HHS civil rights office fights discrimination against people with disabilities during pandemic

Civil rights officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have issued a series of measures to protect people with disabilities from health care discrimination by health care providers during the pandemic. The actions of the Office of Civil Rights, or OCR, of the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically address discrimination related to denial of treatment for people with disabilities who have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19. (Shapiro, 1/15)