UTSA’s chief medical officer discusses upcoming end of pandemic emergency measures

By Faith Kouadio Staff Writer

On April 10, President Joe Biden signed Bill H.J.Res. 7 to end the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies beginning May 11. The declarations allowed the federal government to temporarily modify aspects of the healthcare system. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cites a decrease in daily reported cases by 92%, COVID-19 deaths down by over 80% and hospitalizations because of the virus declining by almost 80% as factors that influenced this decision.

HHS assures a continued effort to battle the virus despite the end of the emergency orders, such as keeping the vaccine and certain COVID-19 treatments free. However, major changes to testing and tracking are incoming. For example,