Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. Our response to the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remains a public health priority, but thanks to the administration’s whole-of-government approach to combatting the virus, we are in a better place in our response than we were three years ago, and we can transition away from the emergency phase.
Over the last two years, the Biden Administration has effectively implemented the largest adult vaccination program in U.S. history, with nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.
We have come to this point in our fight against the virus because of our historic investments and our efforts to mitigate its worst impacts. Addressing COVID-19 remains a significant public health priority for the Administration, and over the next few months we will transition our COVID-19 policies, as well as the current flexibilities enabled by the COVID-19 emergency declarations, into improving standards of care for patients. We will work closely with partners, including state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies, industry, and advocates, to ensure an orderly transition.
Resources
February 27, 2023 CMS Fact Sheet: CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (The PDF version of this Fact Sheet can be found here.)
February 9, 2023 HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Letter to U.S. Governors
February 9, 2023 Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap
