Two officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration announced on Friday that the US would maintain a state of public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic This would allow millions of Americans to get tested and receive vaccines and treatment for free until at least April next year.
One of the officials said the prospect of an increase in coronavirus infections in winter and the need for more time before the public health emergency emerges were the two factors that contributed to the decision not to end the state of emergency in January.
The public health emergency was initially declared in January 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and has been renewed every three months since then.
Corona testing center in New York – Reuters
But last August the government began signaling that it planned to let it expire in January.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has promised to give states 60 days notice before allowing the state of emergency, which will expire on Friday, if it doesn’t plan to renew it again in January.
The second official said the ministry failed to provide such notification.
Injuries increase in winter
For his part, one of the officials said health experts believe it is likely that Covid 19 infections will increase in the United States this winter.
“We could see an increase in mid-January… This is not the time we want to end the public health emergency,” he added.
A patient with Covid-19 at a California hospital – Reuters
In addition, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said daily infections with the Corona virus had decreased to more than 41,284 on average as of Nov. 9, but 335 people die every day from it.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said in an Oct. 21 analysis that daily infections in the United States are expected to slowly climb to nearly 70,000 by February, and deaths are expected to be around the same number. same level.
