The FEHBlog usually calls the Thursday issue, Thursday miscellany, but today everything is going to be about the COVID-19 situation (picture of the virus above).

The Senate approved the House bill (H.R. 6074) to provide $8.3 billion in funding for the COVID-19 situation by a 96-1 vote.

Healthcare Dive discusses an AHIP policy directive that will lead health plans without delay to cover COVID-19 testing when ordered by a physician with few if any strings attached. Good call.

The Boston Globe’s STATNews discusses potential treatments for COVID-19.

Medical literature published during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 includes case reports describing how transfusions of blood products obtained from survivors may have contributed to a 50% reduction in death among severely ill patients. In 1934, a measles outbreak at a Pennsylvania boarding school was halted when serum harvested from the first infected student was used to treat 62 fellow students. Only three of the 62 students developed measles — all mild cases.

More recently, plasma-derived therapy was used to treat patients during outbreaks of Ebola and avian flu. And on Wednesday the Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said it was developing a new coronavirus drug derived from the blood plasma of people who have recovered from Covid-19. Its approach is based on the idea that antibodies developed by recovered patients might strengthen the immune system of new patients.

That’s hopeful news.

The President will not be speaking at next week’s HIMSS conference after all because HIMSS today announced its decision to cancel the conference due to the COVID-19 situation. The FEHBlog also has had two conferences cancel on him over the past two days.

Here’s a link to a Journal podcast on whether COVID-19 will cause a recession in our country. Wall Street Journal chief economics reporter John Hilsenrath thinks not comparing the current situation to the state of the country after the 9-11 attacks. Check it out — it’s only 20 minutes long.