“Why GAO Did This Study
…The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report—GAO’s 10th comprehensive report—examines the federal government’s continued efforts to respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, GAO’s March 17, 2022 testimony included 10 new legislative suggestions to enhance the transparency and accountability of federal spending, which we reiterate here.”
“GAO reviewed federal data and documents and interviewed federal and state officials and other stakeholders.”
“What GAO Found
By late March 2022, daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. had fallen substantially since the Omicron-related peak in January 2022. Though COVID-19-associated hospitalizations and deaths have also decreased, the effects of the Omicron variant—and the rising prevalence of its new BA.2 sublineage—underscore enduring challenges and the importance of a continued, agile federal response…”
“Since June 2020, GAO has made 279 total recommendations for improving federal pandemic operations. These recommendations include improvements in such areas as publicly reporting COVID-19 nursing home vaccination data and targeting vaccine outreach to veterans. Agencies have fully or partially addressed 39 percent of these recommendations as of March 2022, fully addressing 22 percent (61 recommendations) and partially addressing another 17 percent (48 recommendations). Fully addressing GAO’s recommendations will enhance federal COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts, and help prepare for future public health emergencies.”
“In this report, GAO makes 15 new recommendations and raises one matter for congressional consideration in the areas of COVID-19 payment oversight, public health data collection, and critical manufacturing, among others…”
Access the full 407-page report here.
Source: COVID-19: Current and Future Federal Preparedness Requires Fixes to Improve Health Data and Address Improper Payments – April 27, 2022. GAO.
