Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, told CNBC Feb. 2 that the country's COVID-19 testing system is "discontinuous" and "problematic" and that he doesn't expect any large-scale improvements until fall. 

At the pace Kaiser Permanente is receiving COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government, it would take the Oakland, Calif.-based system more than four years to vaccinate all of its patients, ABC 7 reports. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development spent $200 million to send 8,722 ventilators to other countries last year, a report from the Government Accountability Office found. 

The U.S. Defense Department on Feb. 1 signed a $231.8 million deal with Australian company Ellume to onshore the production of its at-home COVID-19 tests.

February is a time where we focus on our hearts – both how we share our hearts and keep them healthy. It can also be a reminder for all of us in healthcare to take a moment to recognize a group of people who are the “heart” of the hospital: supply chain professionals.

TJ Kim, a 16-year-old pilot, has been flying personal protective equipment to small, rural hospitals in Virginia and West Virginia since the pandemic began, according to WBOY, a dual NBC/ABC affiliate in West Virginia. 

Three senators are urging the FDA to review the accuracy of pulse oximeters in patients of color after multiple studies have suggested the devices provide misleading measures to patients of color. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked the Pentagon to help distribute COVID-19 vaccines, a spokesperson from the U.S. Defense Department told The Hill. 

Cleveland Clinic was sold a batch of ineffective N95 masks that may be counterfeit, the health system told WKYC, a Cleveland-based NBC affiliate, Jan. 28. 

A physician practice in rural northeast Georgia will not receive shipments of COVID-19 vaccines for six months — a state-imposed sanction after the group vaccinated school district employees, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Ten hospitals and health systems posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week:

Mike Roman, CEO and chairman of 3M, told CNBC Jan. 26 that the company expects demand for N95 masks to be strong throughout 2021. 

A House subcommittee is investigating a $70 million deal between the federal government and two medical device companies to supply the U.S. with ventilators that ended up being inadequate to treat COVID-19 patients, The Washington Post reports. 

The global COVID-19 vaccination effort is being slowed by logistical problems with last-mile delivery, industry leaders told CNBC Jan. 26. 

While demand in 2020 has significantly exceeded available product, stakeholders across the supply chain have worked together to deliver necessary medical supplies.

Rochelle Walensky, MD, the new director of the CDC, said Jan. 24 that supply is "probably going to be the most limiting constraint early on" to reaching President Biden's goal of administering 100 million COVID-19 vaccines in his first 100 days, The Washington Post reported. 

Ten hospitals and health systems posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week:

Almost 20 percent of U.S. counties have no COVID-19 testing sites, affecting more than 7 million people, according to data from nonprofit group Surgo Ventures cited by The Wall Street Journal. 

HCA Healthcare has entered into a joint venture business with a healthcare supply manufacturer called A Plus International to expand access to personal protective equipment by manufacturing surgical masks in the U.S., the Nashville, Tenn.-based system said Jan. 21. 

Health officials around the U.S. are deciding between running testing sites or vaccination sites since they don't have enough staff or funding to run both, The Hill reports.