The Biden administration has reportedly extended the public health emergency status of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, U.S. residents will be able to continue receiving free coronavirus tests, vaccines and treatments.
The COVID-19 pandemic was initially declared a public health emergency in January 2020 and its status has been renewed every quarter since then. During this time period, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has indicated that it would give states a 60-day notice before letting the emergency expire. On November 11, the public health emergency status would have expired if HHS did not plan on renewing it again in January. Instead, the status was extended in anticipation of a potential COVID-19 surge this winter.
“We may be in the middle of one in January,” a U.S. official told Reuters.
“That is not the moment you want to pull down the public health emergency.”
Currently, daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are down to approximately 41,000. However, 335 people are reportedly dying from the virus each day. Experts expect the daily case rate to rise to approximately 70,000 by the end of February.
