In light of the highly contagious Amid Omicron subvariant, the U.S. government has extended the Covid-19 public health emergency until April 2023. The decision comes as fears mount that the U.S. will see a fresh influx of Covid-related hospitalizations this coming winter.
In the U.S., the omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant is quickly gaining dominance. It is better at connecting to human cells and is also skilled at dodging immunity, which, according to scientists, gives it an edge in terms of growth. It has been dubbed the most contagious subvariant by the World Health Organization, despite the lack of evidence to date that it worsens existing illnesses.
Covid has fragmented into many subvariants after the emergence of omicron in the U.S. in late 2021, which led to enormous waves of infection in the U.S. and throughout the world. These subvariants are developing to become more skilled at avoiding protection from vaccination and infection.
Since the initial declaration of a public health emergency due to the Covid in January 2020 by the Trump administration, it has been renewed every 90 days.
Over the past three years, the emergency declaration has had a significant effect on the American healthcare system. It has allowed hospitals more leeway to deal with patient spikes and expanded telehealth while preserving public health insurance coverage for the masses.
The Covid task force at the White House, headed by Dr. Ashish Jha, has frequently tried to reassure the public that the U.S. is in a far better position today than it was in the past, mainly due to the increased availability of vaccines and therapies that prevent serious illness and death from the virus.
Back in August, HHS instructed state and local health departments to begin making preparations for the emergency to be lifted. If HHS decides to rescind the proclamation, it will give 60 days’ notice to state governments and healthcare providers.
“The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency remains in effect, and as the Health and Human Services Department committed to earlier, we will provide a 60-day notice to states before any possible termination or expiration,” a spokesperson for the HHS said.
In September, when the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths began to fall, Vice President Joe Biden declared the pandemic to be finished. However, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters in October that the emergency declaration would remain in effect only if the virus continued to spread into the winter.
Hospitals will have less freedom in how they handle an influx of patients once U.S. officials decide to stop the public health emergency. It is unclear how lifting the emergency would impact the significantly increased role pharmacists have played in giving vaccines throughout the pandemic.Additionally, millions of Americans will likely lose their Medicaid health coverage in the following months. For the length of the public health emergency, Congress forbade states from terminating participants from the program which lead to a 30% increase in Medicaid enrollment.
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