This Monday, US President Joe Biden informed Congress that will put an end to the health emergency that was declared in the country on May 11 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
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The end of the emergency will occur three years after it was declared, when the then president, Republican Donald Trump (2017-2021) declared a national emergency due to the high rates of infections, deaths, and hospitalizations from the SARS-CoV-2 virus or coronavirus.
The end of the health emergency as of May 11 implies the change of many of the government strategies and health care subsidies that citizens have received since 2020.
One of these benefits, which will end with the end of the emergency, is the price of vaccines, which has been paid for by the Federal Government.
Now that the Government will stop buying them, that price must be assumed in its entirety by those patients who do not have health insurance. Those who are affiliated with private insurance must pay part of the price.
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Ordinary Americans have returned to work and school without restrictions
Added to this is the announcement that laboratories such as Pfizer have recently given. This company disclosed that will raise the price of the vaccine to $130.
In the United States, seven out of ten citizens have received the initial vaccination against covid-19. Nevertheless, only 15% He has gone to health centers to obtain the booster doses recommended by the Government and by health experts.
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People lining up in Times Square to get a covid-19 test.
End of the emergency, an announcement that has been delayed
Then-President Donald Trump declared a national emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020. Then, current President Joe Biden -who took office in 2021- extended this measure several times.
For the administration, the announcement to end the health emergency on May 11 meets the goal of gradually reducing support, subsidies and special policies created during the pandemic.
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An abrupt end to emergency declarations would create great chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system.
This would avoid collapses in hospital centers and sudden increases in infections.
“An abrupt end to emergency declarations would create great chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system: for states, hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the Office said. Administration and Budget.
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Despite this, the legislature has already lifted several of the policies funding created during the pandemic, along with the withdrawal of federal money to contain the pandemic that confined millions of citizens, and claimed the lives of 1.1 million people, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Biden administration planned to withdraw the health emergency last year; however, given the announcements and concerns of a possible increase in winter viral illnesses, the measure was postponed for a few more months.
Republican party members They have demanded on several occasions that the Government withdraw the national emergency. Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, Republican, denounced moments before the president’s announcement that the measure has been unnecessarily delayed.
“Ordinary Americans have returned to work and school with no restrictions on their activities. It is time for the government to recognize this reality: the pandemic is over,” Cole said Monday.
Santiago Andres Venera Salazar
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
