What the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration means to you

The national health emergency declared during the COVID pandemic ends May 11, and that’s appropriate, according to Cape Cod Healthcare’s Chief Medical Officer, William Agel, MD, MPH.

“I think most people have kind of moved on,” he said. “The majority of people who were going to get vaccinated have gotten vaccinated. It’s likely we won’t have to wear masks in hospitals or healthcare settings.”

Much has changed since the peak of the pandemic. An estimated 88.7 percent of the United States has low levels of COVID-19, as of March 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and only 1.5 percent has high community levels. Since the January 2022 high of Omicron variant infections, COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths have dropped 92 percent, almost 80 percent and more than 80 percent, respectively, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“There’s not as much COVID as in past years,” said Dr. Agel, an obstetrician and gynecologist, who holds a master’s degree in Public Health. “We have developed an immunity, whether by contracting COVID or getting vaccinated.”

The end of the declaration will mean a loosening of some federal regulations enacted in response to the pandemic, continuing some things – notably, telehealth – that remain valuable improvements, and a general return to how healthcare operated before COVID-19, Dr. Agel said.

What does this mean to the average person?

• Testing: Perhaps most noticeable – the availability of free at-home COVID tests will end for most people. However, people with Medicare Part B will be able to get tested for free if a lab test is ordered by their doctor, according to HHS. Medicaid programs must continue covering tests at no cost to patients until Sept. 30, 2024, after which it will be up to the individual states to decide how to proceed. Private health insurance companies will no longer be required to cover over-the-counter and lab tests at no cost. The federal government may opt to share stockpiled at-home tests with drug stores and community organizations in areas of “high social vulnerability” and with people with no health insurance.
• Vaccinations: Free COVID-19 vaccines and boosters will continue for many, according to HHS, which says the majority of private health insurers will still cover them without co-pays. Medicare will cover these shots without cost sharing, and Medicaid will cover them without cost-sharing or co-pays through Sept. 30, 2024, after which states will determine their own policies.
• COVID treatments: HHS says it “remains committed to maximizing continued access” to treatments, including the oral antiviral medicines Paxlovid and Lagevrio. Out-of-pocket expenses will depend on a patient’s insurance and will be similar to that for other prescription drugs. Medicaid will cover them without cost-sharing until Sept. 30, 2024, at which time states will decide their own policies.
• Telehealth: Virtual or phone health services that boomed during the pandemic will largely continue to be covered by Medicare and Medicaid, especially for people in remote areas and those who have difficulty getting in-person care. Medicare coverage will run through December 2024, and states will continue to have “flexibilities” to pay for telehealth via their Medicaid programs.
• Opioid treatment programs: A policy allowing a larger number of take-home doses of methadone will continue until May 11, 2024. Similarly, patients may continue to begin getting buprenorphine using telehealth, instead of the previously required in-person physical exam. Because of the success of both changes, they may be made permanent.

HHS said the end of the national emergency declaration does not limit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ability to continue or employ emergency use authorizations (EAUs) for COVID tests, treatments and vaccines.

Some federal and state regulations governing how certain care can be provided and by whom were relaxed during the pandemic and will remain, in recognition of the continuing labor shortage in healthcare, Dr. Agel said. On March 15, Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced legislation would be filed to allow:

• “Flexibilities” to remain for the next six months to allow non-hospital dialysis centers to continue operating while bringing staffing up to pre-pandemic levels.
• Some health staff to give certain pre-packaged medicines for six months, giving the state Department of Public Health that time to revamp training requirements.
• Ambulances to have only one emergency medical technician and a first-responder driver, rather than two EMTs, for rides providing advanced life support.

Testing and Treatment at CCHC

To find a COVID-19 test, receive a vaccine or get treated at a Cape Cod Healthcare facility:

• Testing:
  
  • COVID-19 testing is available without an appointment at all Cape Cod Healthcare Urgent Care centers with results communicated through the MyChart patient portal.
• Vaccines:
  
  • COVID-19 vaccinations are available by appointment at the Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital pharmacy locations. Appointments can be made through the MyChart patient portal or by calling 508-957-8600.
• Treatment:
  
  • If you recently tested positive, treatment options are available at Cape Cod Hospital and locally through retail pharmacies.

Going Forward

Dr. Agel said he welcomes the return of much of the way healthcare operated before the pandemic.

“It’ll be nice as a physician to see my patients’ faces and for them to see mine,” he said.

Going forward, Dr. Agel expects COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory viruses to be seasonal afflictions, and annual shots for COVID will be routine, like flu vaccinations.

The way to avoid contracting or spreading the COVID-19 virus will be “common sense,” he said. “Wash your hands; stay home when sick.”

People who are immunocompromised, such as chemotherapy patients, may choose to continue to wear masks around other people.

“Keep up with your vaccinations and lead a healthy life,” Dr. Agel advised.