What Does The End Of The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Meant For You?

The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency expired on May 11, 2023.

Public health emergencies allow the government to spend money quickly on research, public health costs, vaccines, testing, and food benefits.

The end of the public health emergency does not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a threat.

Austin Public Health (APH) will continue to offer COVID-19 vaccines through the Shots for Tots and Big Shots clinics as well as the Mobile Vaccination Program’s community events.

At-home COVID-19 test kits are available at APH Neighborhood Centers while supplies last.

Austin Public Health is finalizing updated COVID-19 dashboards to be in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC) and Texas Department of State Health Services, and to address changes or elimination of federal or state COVID-19 metrics.

A preview of the dashboard can be seen below. Previous dashboards have been archived and the data can be found in the COVID-19 data hub.

Wastewater surveillance of COVID-19 in Travis County can be viewed on the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System’s data tracker.

Medicaid recipients will no longer be automatically re-enrolled for Medicaid each year but will have to prove they are eligible to keep using Medicaid health insurance.

Texas Health and Human Services shared guidance on ensuring Medicaid coverage.

To learn more, read the End of Continuous Medicaid Coverage FAQ (PDF).

Those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy food will receive less money. Many households started seeing a reduction in March of this year.

To offset reductions in benefits, households should update their information as soon as possible about medical, housing, child or disabled adult care costs.

They can make these updates by visiting YourTexasBenefits.com, calling 2-1-1 and selecting option 2 to update their information, or finding their local HHSC benefits office and visiting in person.