Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap

Resource Information

US Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Headquarters

Washington, D.C. 20201

About Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap

Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. Our response to the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remains a public health priority, but thanks to the Administration’s whole of government approach to combatting the virus, we are in a better place in our response than we were three years ago, and we can transition away from the emergency phase.

As described below, the Administration is committed to ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines and treatments will be widely accessible to all who need them. There will also be continued access to pathways for emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for COVID-19 products (tests, vaccines, and treatments) through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and major telehealth flexibilities will continue to exist for those participating in Medicare or Medicaid.

Access to COVID-19 vaccinations and certain treatments, such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio, will generally not be affected. To help keep communities safe from COVID-19, HHS remains committed to maximizing continued access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Partners across the U.S. Government (USG) are developing plans to ensure a smooth transition for the provision of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as part of the traditional health care marketplace and are committed to executing this transition in a thoughtful, well-coordinated manner.

Importantly, this transition to more traditional health care coverage is not tied to the ending of the COVID-19 PHE and in part reflects the fact that the federal government has not received additional funds from Congress to continue to purchase more vaccines and treatments.