US President Joe Biden on January 30 announced that he would end the dual national emergency for Covid-19 on May 11 in the context that most countries around the world have returned to near state. normally nearly 3 years of a global pandemic.
According to the AP, the move to end the national emergency and declare a public health emergency will formalize the federal restructuring of Covid-19 response capacity as the world grows. still view this disease-causing virus as an endemic threat to public health.
President Joe Biden’s statement came after members of Congress passed an end to emergency-related support packages that helped millions of Americans get insurance during the pandemic. So this statement would move towards potentially stopping all federal Covid-19 relief money and then moving on to developing vaccines and treatments for the disease. President Biden’s announcement comes after House Republicans this week announced an end to the Covid-19 emergency and said they would launch investigations into the US response. federal government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the past time, President Joe Biden has repeatedly declared a state of emergency for the Covid-19 pandemic since officially taking office in January 2021. The two states of emergency are due to expire on March 1 and April 11, but the White House on January 30 said the administration plans to extend it until May 11 and then “end both declarations of state of emergency.” state of emergency on that date”.
“Any abrupt declaration to end the emergency would create widespread chaos and instability in the health care system for states, hospitals and doctors’ offices, most importantly, with tens of millions of Americans,” the Office of Management and Budget wrote in its Statement of Management Policy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a million Americans have died from Covid-19 since 2020. Congress has taken many measures to reduce the scope of the state of emergency. Public health issues have the most direct impact on the American people, as there are growing calls to end the practice. For months, lawmakers have refused to comply with the Biden administration’s request for billions of dollars more to extend free Covid testing and vaccines.
Coping with the new situation
“In some respects, the Biden Administration is looking to adjust and respond to what many people in the country are going through. However, the signal will change for Americans after the state of emergency. expired,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The cost of the Covid-19 vaccine is also expected to skyrocket after the Government stopped buying to support farmers in the past. Pfizer says it will charge up to $130 per dose. Only 15% of Americans have received the recommended booster shot update that has been made available since last fall.
Mr. Levitt said those with private insurance may have to pay some of the costs for the vaccine themselves. Free home Covid tests will also end. And the hospital will not be paid extra to treat Covid-19 patients. Recently, the flexible 2-year extension for telehealth since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused healthcare systems across the country to regularly provide care. via smartphone or computer. However, this move will also end after the state of emergency expires in May of this year.
The Biden administration had considered ending the state of emergency last year, but then shelved it due to concerns about the potential for a “winter spike” to buy more time to provide assistance to homemakers. Service providers, insurers, and patients prepare to end this condition. Officials said the US administration will use the next three months to convert the epidemic response to conventional methods. Experts said that a sudden declaration of an end to the state of emergency “would sow confusion and chaos into this important deceleration”.
According to the AP, the number of Covid-19 cases is trending down after a slight increase during the winter break and is significantly lower than the levels seen in the previous two winters while the number of tests and reports to officials. public health has plummeted. On January 30, the World Health Organization said that Covid-19 disease remains a global health emergency, even as the group’s main advisory board recognizes a pandemic may be approaching. the inflection point,” where higher levels of immunity can reduce the number of virus-related deaths.
“Americans have mostly returned to normal life. They are back to work and school with no restrictions on activities. It’s time for the government to acknowledge the fact that the pandemic is over.” , Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma commented