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The two national emergency declarations dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic will end May 11, President Joe Biden said Monday.
Doing so will have many effects, including the end of free vaccines and health services to fight the pandemic. The public health emergency has been renewed every 90 days since first being declared by the Trump administration in January 2020.
The declaration allowed major changes throughout the health care system to deal with the pandemic, including the free distribution of vaccines, testing and treatments. In addition, telehealth services were expanded, and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were extended to millions more Americans.
Biden said the COVID-19 national emergency is set to expire March 1 while the declared public health emergency would currently expire on April 11. The president said both will be extended to end May 11.
There were nearly 300,00 newly reported COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending Jan. 25, according to CDC data, as well as more than 3,750 deaths.
Sources:
Executive Office of the President: “Statement of Administration Policy.”
CDC: “Trends in Number of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, by State/Territory.”
