COVID-19 emergency ends in the U.S. despite lingering threat

BALTIMORE — The country's COVID-19 national emergency officially ends at midnight on Thursday. 

Hospitalizations and case numbers are down significantly in the U.S. and many Americans are now vaccinated against the virus. But even though the COVID-19 emergency declaration is disappearing, the virus is not.

"A thousand Americans are still dying every week of a disease that we didn't even know existed in May of 2019," says Neil Sehgal, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. "It's the 4th leading cause of death in America today. And if that's not an emergency, I'm not sure what is."

When the national emergency ends, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will change how it collects state and local data on COVID-19 cases. Vaccines should be covered by health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. But COVID-19 at-home tests may no longer be free. Medication to prevent severe COVID-19 will remain available for free while supplies last.

Seghal says the average Marylander won't feel an impact when the national emergency ends.

"Certainly people who are medically vulnerable, who are economically or socially disadvantaged, are more likely to feel the brunt of this far more than the average person might," he says.

Sehgal says it's likely we'll experience another COVID surge, so take precautions, including masking, to protect the most vulnerable among us.

"One of the most amazing things about the early pandemic is our collective investment in the health of our neighbors," Sehgal says. "And if we forget that, and we move on from that, then that's a tremendous loss."

There are also no more vaccine requirements for federal workers and contractors, or for international travelers flying into the U.S.