US Extends COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration

The US on Thursday extended the status of COVID-19 as a public health emergency for another 90 days, thereby preserving measures such as higher payments to hospitals and expanding Medicaid.

The extension was announced Thursday by US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. Last month in September, President Joe Biden said in an interview that “the pandemic is over,” drawing criticism from health experts.

The number of the COVID-19 pandemic has dropped significantly since the beginning of Biden’s term when more than 3,000 Americans were dying every day, as better care, drugs, and vaccinations have become more widely available.

• End of the Covid-19 pandemic is in sight, WHO

But according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hundreds of people in the United States continue to die from the coronavirus every day.

Biden has asked Congress for $22.4 billion in additional funding to prepare for a possible surge in cases.

Former President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to free up $50 billion in federal aid in 2020.