Three Things Thursday

Official declarations are changing -- what does that mean for you and me?

Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week.

Hoping these posts help to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.

Today’s Three Things Thursday focuses on Monday’s announcements from the WHO and the White House regarding the state of the pandemic. And what those announcements mean to you and me.

On Monday, January 30 the WHO announced that the COVID situation still warrants a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO acknowledged that the pandemic is at an inflection point. Meaning the world (from a scientific, political, cultural, medical, and public health standpoint) needs to navigate the transition from an emergency to a predicable public health concern carefully and mitigate the potential negative consequences of ending the global emergency.

The WHO’s decision to keep the public health emergency was based on the fact that COVID deaths continue to occur at a high rate, there is low vaccine uptake in low- and middle-income countries, and there is continued uncertainty about emerging variants

According to WHO, the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains unpredictable and more surveillance is needed to track the impacts of the latest subvariants on the healthcare system.

We expect that the WHO will lift the public health emergency of international concern for COVID sometime this year. Stay tuned…

Also on Monday, January 30, the White House said that it will end the public health and national emergencies on May 11, 2023 (providing everyone with 60 days’ notice). Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, stated that the country is in a better place with managing the virus and is getting through the winter without a big surge in cases or a run on hospitals.

It is important to note — ending the public health emergency in the United States will not hamper FDA’s ability to authorize devices (including tests), treatments, or vaccines for emergency use and existing Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) will remain in place.

So — what does this mean for you and me?

The COVID pandemic is the world’s largest disaster (EVER). Declaring the emergency over does not change the fact that we have all been changed as a result of living through a pandemic and that COVID will be with us for the rest of our lives.

We all need to recognize that we are unprepared — as individuals, communities, and global society — for the next pandemic.

Big problems need to be addressed. We need to —

1. Build trust (with each other, across governments, and with public health experts).

2. Address health disparities.

3. Prioritize preventing disease over treating disease.

4. Create and support a technologically-advanced and cutting-edge public health system that can be sustained during times of emergency and times of peace.

All of that said, with the official end of the public health emergency in the US most things will not change for you and me. But we will likely start to feel the effects of COVID in our pocketbooks. No longer will vaccines, tests, and treatment will not be provided for free by the federal government. If your health insurance doesn’t cover Paxlovid, it will cost you $500. The vaccine will cost $130 out of pocket. And over-the-counter tests will cost anywhere from $15-30 (according to Amazon).

Millions of Americans will also (most likely) be dropped from Medicaid. During the public health emergency, people were allowed to avoid the Medicaid renewal process — keeping their health insurance. These allowances will end with the end of the public health emergency. Similarly, student loan debt deferrals and cancelations will become more complicated as the emergency ends. President Biden has a plan to end helping individuals with student loan debt, but that plan is being challenged in the courts. One of those challenges will go before the Supreme Court next month. More to come on this…

With the official end of the COVID emergency imminent, we all need to commit to —

1. Staying home when we are sick (or wearing a mask)

2. Staying up-to-date on our vaccines (all vaccines)

3. Recognizing that COVID is here to stay and the virus is still unpredictable

4. Recognizing that the next pandemic is on the horizon

5. Voting, advocating, and supporting work to improve our public health programs and surveillance systems.

Do you have other questions?

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