U.S. Extends Covid Health Emergency Declaration, Cases Rise
- U.S. seeing 30,000 new Covid cases a day, driven by BA.2
- Current emergency declaration was poised to expire this week
A doctor speaks with a Covid-19 patient on the ICU floor at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.
Photographer: Allison Dinner/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The U.S. will extend its formal Covid-19 public health emergency by another 90 days, according to an administration official with knowledge of the matter, prolonging special measures as the country grapples with new cases driven by a new Omicron subvariant.
Extension of the declaration first made in January 2020, allows certain emergency powers and programs to continue, such as those that allow free at-home tests for seniors on Medicare or fund certain Covid treatments. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has pledged to give 60 days’ notice of the formal emergency’s expiration, to allow preparation.