COVID-19 public health emergency ends Thursday night
MIAMI - It's hard to believe but after three long years, the COVID-19 public health emergency will expire at the end of Thursday.
The declaration was first put in place in February 2020.
So what does that mean?
COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be free of charge until the nation's stockpiled vaccines expire or run out. The federal government still has an ample supply. Because they qualify as preventative services under the Affordable Care Act, vaccines will continue to remain free even for most Americans
Medicaid will cover vaccinations without a co-pay and testing until the end of September of next year.
Get ready to pay for COVID-19 tests. Though health insurers will continue to cover tests ordered by a medical provider, many policyholders will now face deductibles and copays as part of that coverage.
COVID-19 tracking will be scaled back. New infections will no longer be reported, only hospitalizations and deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue to track variants.
Florida International University infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty said immunity levels are high enough that doctors are able to manage, putting an end to the emergency. However, everyone still needs to protect themselves
"We all have to be conscious of the lessons we learned so that we don't fall into this trap. It doesn't mean that there won't be more, perhaps very significant, variants of COVID-19 that may happen," she said. "We are still seeing substantial numbers of patients being hospitalized for COVID-19, it's just that the percentage is so much lower and our hospitals now know how to manage those patients, protect those patients, and cure most everyone and protect other people coming to the hospital from those patients."
Dr. Marty said because so many people are immune, exposure doesn't mean you have to quarantine the same way anymore. However, if you are sick with any respiratory illness, you should stay home. If you have to go out, protect yourselves and others by wearing a mask.
