Biden administration seeks to end the COVID-19 emergency declaration

Editor's Note

This week the Biden administration will be renewing the COVID-19 public health emergency for the 11^th time since the pandemic began with claims that it will be the last time, reports January 10 Politico.

The administration seeks to end the public health emergency as early as the spring. The US Department of Health and Human Services will provide a 60-day notice prior to the possible ending of the emergency declaration.

Under the public health emergency declaration, the U.S. has played the key role of implementing policies and treatments in response to the virus. An end to the public health emergency would mean eventually transitioning these responses and treatments to the private market.

The decision stems from many factors, including the White house’s limited federal funding and need to focus on other pressing issues. “There’s still a lot of passion in the administration on Covid — they understand how important it is,” a Georgetown University public health professor states. “But I think people recognize there aren’t a lot of new ideas and there isn’t a lot of money.”

Despite this, Biden health officials stressed that responses to future surges of the virus would remain a top priority for the administration no matter the status of the emergency declaration.