May 11, 2023

CNN - The Biden Administration announced that after more than three years, the United States' declaration of a public health emergency due to Covid-19 ended today.

However, this does not mean that the virus has magically disappeared. According to the CDC, there were more than 77,000 new Covid-19 cases last week - and this is likely an underestimate, given that many people are testing for Covid-19 at home or not at all.

The declaration, which has been renewed 13 times, essentially gave the government flexibility to implement certain policies and actions.

The expiration today means an immediate end to some programs as well as some changes to how Covid-19 data is collected. But the CDC said it will still keep a close eye on the virus by utilizing more novel approaches like genomic sequencing and wastewater testing.