WASHINGTON — After more than three years and 1.1 million deaths, the United States on Thursday will end the public health emergency for COVID-19 — and Congress is attempting to better prepare for a possible resurgence of that virus or another.
The expiration of the designation, originally put in place in January 2020, means alterations to how vaccines, tests and therapeutics are purchased and administered, though not all changes will take effect immediately. Less information will be available from the federal government about the frequency of the disease.
The emergency designation sunsetting marks something of an end to the pandemic, even though COVID-19 still remains active and will likely continue to evolve into new variants in the months and years ahead.
Rebecca Fischer, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, said she expects infections, hospitalizations and deaths will mirror what the country has experienced under the public health emergency.
“What we’ve learned is, the unpredictable nature of COVID is something we can rely on,” Fischer said.
The change in status, she said, will allow officials to look back at what they’ve learned throughout the pandemic while preparing for a future where something similar could take place.
“The end of the public health emergency declaration makes it really important to take inventory of where we are with resources, infrastructure, staffing and training so that we can ramp up those areas,” she added. “So that when something unpredictable happens, such as a variant emerges or more severe illness happens, we will be better prepared to tackle those challenges.”
Cases and deaths from the virus continue to trend downward, though each week there are nearly 80,000 new diagnoses and more than 1,100 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Vaccination rates have continued to wane the longer the pandemic has dragged on, with fewer than 17% of people getting the updated bivalent vaccination booster, compared to nearly 70% of Americans receiving their original two-dose vaccinations.
COVID-19 vaccinations, tests, treatments
Federal public health officials maintain that for many following the end of the public health emergency, vaccinations will continue to be available without charge through private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.
The Department of Health and Human Services wrote in a fact sheet on the end of the public health emergency that “when that transition to the traditional health care market occurs, to protect families, the Administration has facilitated access to COVID-19 vaccines with no out-of-pocket costs for nearly all individuals and will continue to ensure that effective COVID-19 treatments, such as Paxlovid, are widely accessible.”
Uninsured people will continue to have access to the vaccine after the country transitions out of the emergency through a so-called bridge program, according to HHS.
Treatments for COVID-19, such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio, could cost more, depending on health insurance status. Medicaid patients will continue having access to treatments through Sept. 30, 2024, without having to pay.
Access to free testing for COVID-19, either through a lab or at-home rapid tests, will change, though HHS says the federal government is keeping a stockpile and will mail free tests to people until the end of May through COVIDtests.gov.
