![]() The state of emergency declaration allowed for some temporary fixes, like providing free care for patients with Covid-19 and extending Medicaid coverage for low-income children and families. Third, the pandemic unveiled the many problems with our health care system. I worry about what will happen if there is another infectious disease outbreak, and I worry about the erosion of trust in existing public health measures as evidenced by the drop in routine childhood immunizations for polio, measles and chickenpox. When that trust is eroded, it’s difficult to get back. Second, we’ve seen how much public health depends on public trust. Is the new Covid-19 booster for you? Our medical analyst explains REUTERS/Hannah Beier Hannah Beier/Reuters Much more work needs to be done to deploy vaccines and treatments to high-risk populations.Ī vial of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub variants is pictured at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 8, 2022. Even as second bivalent boosters have become available to some, it’s disheartening to see that not even half of people 65 and older have received their first bivalent booster. First, as much as science has delivered incredibly to allow us to have safe and effective vaccines in record time, these advances can only work if people use them. Wen: In my view, there have been three key lessons. We still must monitor for new variants and work to prevent and treat the coronavirus, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable individuals.ĬNN: Looking back, what have been some key lessons learned during the past three years? ![]() That doesn’t mean Covid-19 no longer poses a threat or that it won’t be in the future rather, it needs to be understood as we do other serious diseases. At this point, when there is widespread immunity and widely available vaccines and treatments, I think it’s reasonable for the official declaration to end. The antiviral medication Paxlovid, for example, reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by about 80% if it’s taken within five days of symptom onset.Įvery emergency has to an end at some point. In addition, there are treatments available for those at high risk. Prior exposure through recovery, vaccination or both conveys some protection against severe disease. More than 96% of Americans have either had the coronavirus, been vaccinated or both, according to CDC data. This is because nearly everyone has some immunity to the coronavirus and because of the widespread availability of treatments. Another important measure is that the number of Americans being hospitalized with Covid-19 is at the lowest level it has been since the beginning of the pandemic. This is likely a significant underestimate, given that many people are testing for coronavirus at home or not at all.ĬNN: Do you think it was too soon to end the emergency declaration? ![]() According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 77,000 new Covid-19 cases last week. ![]() Just because the official declaration is ending doesn’t mean that the virus has magically disappeared. The Biden administration will end most of the remaining federal Covid-19 vaccine requirements on May 11. Others, like those allowing for more telemedicine services, will stay in some form even after the emergency declaration ends. ![]() In the United States, for example, the state of national emergency allowed hospitals to operate with greater flexibility. Rather, the declarations have a more bureaucratic meaning. Leana Wen: I think it’s very important to clarify that declarations of ending the emergency around Covid-19 does not mean that Covid-19 is over. She previously served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.ĬNN: What does the end of the Covid-19 state of emergency mean for people?ĭr. Wen is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. To help us with these questions, I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. What does all this mean about the threat Covid-19 poses to people? Is it right to end the worldwide and US states of emergency, or is it too soon? What have been some key lessons learned during the past three years? What investments must continue to prevent and treat this coronavirus? And what should people who remain at high risk for severe Covid-19, and their family members, do? This comes as the World Health Organization announced last week that Covid-19 no longer constitutes a global health emergency. The national public health emergency around Covid-19 officially ends in the United States on Thursday, May 11, more than three years after it was first declared. ![]()
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