This is from our friends at The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com):
As our region and our nation continue to grapple with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, The New England Council is using our blog as a platform to highlight some of the work our members have undertaken to respond to the outbreak. Each day, we’ll post a round-up of updates on some of the initiatives underway among Council members throughout the region. We are also sharing these updates via our social media, and encourage our members to share with us any information on their efforts so that we can be sure to include them in these daily round-ups.
You can find all the Council’s information and resources related to the crisis in the special COVID-19 section of our Web site. This includes our COVID-19 Virtual Events Calendar, which provides information on upcoming COVID-19 Congressional town halls and webinars presented by NEC members, as well as our newly-released Federal Agency COVID-19 Guidance for Businesses page.
Here is today’s (April 10, 2020) roundup:
Medical Response
Boston Hospitals Launch Citywide Group to Manage Influx – To better coordinate the handling of incoming patients, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) are jointly leading a response group across Boston. The group streamlines the flow of patients to hospitals in the group to avoid moving staff and resources, with support from The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association as well as a growing network of the city’s hospitals. WBUR has more.
MIT Contact Tracing App Adopted by Local Governments – Three local government entities plan to introduce Private Kit, an app developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers. The app allows for extensive – yet still private– “contact tracing” using users’ Bluetooth signals. Other counties and municipalities around the country are considering introducing the app in their communities in the coming weeks. Read more in Reuters.
Beth Israel Doctors Begin Testing Drug to Reduce Need for Ventilators – Doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have launched clinical trials to test tPA to treat COVID-19 related respiratory failure, thereby reducing the demand for ventilators. The anti-clotting drug is usually reserved for heart attack and stroke patients, but after some initial success in treating coronavirus patients, will now enter a two-phase clinical trial. Read the press release here.