Recent litigation involving COVID-19 related deaths in nursing homes and other care facilities has brought attention to the federal law known as the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act. Many nursing homes in the United States who are defending lawsuits for COVID-19 related deaths are seeking immunity from liability using a very broad interpretation of the liability protections provided by the PREP Act.

Are you a physician struggling to keep your medical practice afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, you are not alone. In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, health care professionals are urged to prioritize urgent care and emergency needs for in-person visits, while using telemedicine services for other care. This can also mean a decline in revenue if physicians are not seeing a steady flow of patients like they were before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), as of December 18, 2020, there are two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use. The vaccine is issued in two separate doses, approximately 3-4 weeks apart. The CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices published recommendations for the distribution of the initial limited supplies of the vaccine, specifying which groups should be vaccinated first. The CDC recommends that the first to be vaccinated should be healthcare personnel and frontline workers, but as the vaccine becomes more widely available, the recommendations will expand to include more groups.