Feature

Biden to end COVID emergencies in May


 

The two national emergency declarations dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic will end May 11, President Joe Biden said on Jan. 30.

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 it was 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 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 300,000 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.

A version of this article first appeared on WebMD.com.

Recommended Reading

Working while sick: Why doctors don’t stay home when ill
MDedge Psychiatry
Have you heard the one about the emergency dept. that called 911?
MDedge Psychiatry
‘A huge deal’: Millions have long COVID, and more are expected
MDedge Psychiatry
Major life stressors ‘strongly predictive’ of long COVID symptoms
MDedge Psychiatry
The right indoor relative humidity could ward off COVID
MDedge Psychiatry
Rise of ‘alarming’ subvariants of COVID ‘worrisome’ for winter
MDedge Psychiatry
Endocarditis tied to drug use on the rise, spiked during COVID
MDedge Psychiatry
Study of beliefs about what causes cancer sparks debate
MDedge Psychiatry
Medical student well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic
MDedge Psychiatry
Doctors’ happiness has not rebounded as pandemic drags on
MDedge Psychiatry