COVID-19 public health emergency extended by HHS, possibly for final time
RichLegg


The COVID-19 public health emergency, in place since January 2020, has again been renewed, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
The designation allows Americans to receive free tests, vaccines, and treatments.
The extension is valid for another 90 days. In the past, HHS has promised to give states at least 60 days notice before letting the emergency expire.

The U.S. has seen an uptick in COVID cases recently due to the highly contagious Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.
The latest renewal could be the last, according to Politico, as the Biden administration is eying an end to the emergency in the spring.
COVID-19 vaccine makers: Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), and Novavax (NVAX)
Manufacturers of rapid COVID-19 antigen tests: Becton, Dickinson (BDX), Quidel (QDEL), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), and Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY).
As of the week ended Jan. 4, based on CDC data, ~470.7K cases were reported. However, the number of cases is significantly lower than this point last year when there were ~4.1M cases reported for the week ended Jan. 5, 2022.