The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it will be providing doctors across the country with further information about COVID-19 as well as how to treat patients infected with the novel coronavirus. According to the agency's website, the CDC's call took place between 2:00 to 3:00 EST on Thursday.
A similar conference call was held was in January when the coronavirus outbreak began and more than 10,000 listeners attended. This particular call will include details on how to identify a patient with COVID-19, the best ways to prevent the infection from spreading, as well as the best way to manage medical supplies and care for patients who are at home.
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So far, nine patients have died from COVID-19 in the Seattle area, with over 170 confirmed cases so far in the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said earlier this week that the CDC was lifting all restrictions on COVID-19 testing and new guidelines for doctors would be released soon.
A good time for healthcare service providers
Some of the biggest winners during the past few weeks have been healthcare service providers.
The Senate passed a $8.3 billion emergency response bill today which is headed to President Trump's desk. In it is a provision that would temporarily lift Medicare telehealth coverage restrictions to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. As such, telehealth providers such as Teladoc (TDOC +0.09%) and parent of One Medical primary care chain, 1Life Healthcare (ONEM +0.00%), are expected to benefit as the COVID-19 outbreak continues and more people need medical attention. Biotech companies working on a potential COVID-19 treatment right now also stand to do well.
