The Biden administration announced Friday it has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for three more months.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra officially renewed the emergency declaration. The order was extended to Oct. 13, 2022, “as a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic,” Becerra said in the order.
The health emergency declaration—which allows some Americans to get free COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and treatment—was widely anticipated. Unnamed officials earlier this week told Bloomberg and other news outlets that the White House would extend the order.
“The Public Health Emergency declaration continues to provide us with tools and authorities needed to respond,” a Biden administration official told CNN this week. “The [order] provides essential capabilities and flexibilities to hospitals to better care for patients, particularly if we were to see a significant increase in hospitalizations in the coming weeks.”…