COVID-19: The next phase

The emergency is over, but COVID-19 is not gone.

As of May 11, 2023, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration has ended. While cases are down, COVID-19 is still a threat and the virus remains a leading cause of death in the United States.

Prevention and treatment are key to keep our communities safe and healthy. With the end of the public health emergency:

COVID-19 vaccines are still free for everyone.
Access to testing and treatment will vary depending on insurance status.

The Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments provides funding to help maintain access to COVID-19 care for uninsured adults. Learn more and share about the program with this one-page overview (PDF) and talking points (PDF).

Find the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Watch new HHS videos featuring APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin sharing who has the highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 and why to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Illustrations of a black man, a young woman and an elderly black woman wearing a mask all sport white bandages following vaccination on a yellow background with two illustrations of the COVID-19 virus and text below of “The emergency is over, but COVID is not gone.” along with the APHA logo.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by a novel, or new, coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The virus is SARS-Co-V-2, and the disease the virus causes, coronavirus disease 2019, is abbreviated as COVID-19.

The COVID-19 outbreak is a public health emergency and on March 11, 2020 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Misinformation, rumors and the rapidly changing nature of the outbreak are big problems, so APHA and the entire public health community are working overtime to ensure you have the facts.

What Can You Do?

Get vaccinated. Encourage and help others to get vaccinated.
Stay informed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating recommendations daily. Check the guidance for your local community.
Be skeptical. You will see false information on social media and across the internet. Consider the source, and acknowledge the complex nature of infectious disease means it's not easy to sum up the pandemic into a sound bite or short phrase.
Learn more about the Biden-Harris plan to beat COVID-19 and the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness (PDF)
Share We Can Do This resources about the risk for severe COVID-19 and the availability of treatments.
Visit COVID.gov for resources to keep yourself and other safe from COVID-19.

What is APHA Doing?

We are urging the public health community to share science-based information with the public and are speaking out for outbreak response funding and support.

Reflecting on the lessons of the pandemic (APHA news release)
COVID-19 coverage in The Nation's Health
Public Health Newswire blog posts
APHA criticizes Supreme Court ruling's "disturbing impact" in fight against COVID
Open letter to private sector leaders on joining #COVIDSafeZones (COVID Collaborative)
COVID-19 Vaccination: An Equitable Response (PDF)
Testimony of APHA Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD, before the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis for the hearing “Building Trust and Battling Barriers: The Urgent Need To Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy”
APHA's Georges Benjamin: "We know the vaccine for COVID-19 is very safe, and it really works."
American Journal of Public Health COVID-19 resource page
Public Health COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Lessons Learned and Compelling Needs
COVID-19's impact on housing instability and health of the unsheltered (APHA infographics)
Language that works to improve vaccine acceptance (PDF)
Assessing Legal Responses to COVID-19 (APHA-sponsored report)
COVID-19 Conversations: An APHA/National Academy of Medicine webinar series
COVID-19 in Corrections Data Transparency Act (APHA-endorsed legislation)
Essential information for US state and counties to publicly report (joint COVID-19 indicators report)
"Everybody should recognize that their second job is public health" (TED Talk with APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin)
Ensuring health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of public health infrastructure (Georges Benjamin in Pan American Journal of Public Health)
Coronavirus: How to protect yourself from COVID-19 (tips and resources to share with your friends, family and community)
COVID-19 and Equity
Legislative Response to COVID-19 (PDF, APHA summary)
Countering the "infodemic" of misinformation (highlights of APHA media coverage)

MORE APHA ADVOCACY AND RESOURCES

ADVOCACY LETTERS, COMMENTS AND BRIEFS

APHA letter to the U.S. Senate opposing S. J. Res. 29, a resolution to disapprove OSHA's emergency temporary standard to protect workers from the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace
Public health amicus brief submitted to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of OSHA's emergency temporary standard to protect workers
Public health organization and public health scholars brief to the U.S. Supreme Court opposing religious exemptions from vaccine mandates
Letter to President Biden and Congressional leadership urging COVID-19 recovery legislation include key provisions (PDF)
Letter urging COVID-19 public health response that prioritizes communities of color and tribal communities (PDF)
Letter to Congress supporting the FAMILY Act (PDF)
Letters to the House and Senate in support of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PDF)
Letter from more than 150 organizations in support of the Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act (PDF)
APHA letter to the House of Representatives in support of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Organization letter urging a significant, long-term investment in public health infrastructure in future legislation to speed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to congressional leaders urging the inclusion of the COVID-19 in Corrections Data Transparency Act in the next federal COVID relief package
Organization statement urging the inclusion of key children’s nutrition provisions in upcoming pandemic recovery legislation
Letter to congressional leaders urging the inclusion of the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act in the next COVID-19 legislative package
Statement from the Maternal Immunization Task Force urging the importance of allowing access to COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant people
Letter in support of the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act
Letter to congressional leaders urging an extension of the FFCA paid sick leave benefits in any upcoming coronavirus supplemental package or annual appropriations legislation
Letter to congressional leaders urging the inclusion of the VACCINES Act and the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act in the next COVID-19 legislative package considered by Congress
Letter in support of the COVID-19 in Corrections Data Transparency Act
Updated letter to congressional leaders outlining funding priorities as the U.S. begins to prepare for the allocation, distribution and administration of a new COVID-19 vaccine
Letter to HHS and FDA outlining recommendations to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine (PDF)
Letter to USDA requesting an extension to nutrition waivers to ensure access to healthy meals
Letter to Vice President Pence requesting a reversal of the change in CDC testing guidelines for asymptomatic individuals who were exposed to COVID-19
Letter in support of AHRQ funding for COVID-19 response
Letter to House and Senate leaders urging investments in public health infrastructure and clean energy and clean transportation initiatives in future COVID-19 recovery stimulus legislation
Letter urging the administration to immediately reverse its decision to bypass CDC in the collection and analysis of COVID-19 patient data
Letter to Vice President Pence urging the administration to adhere to sound scientific and public health guidance to ensure the best response to and successful recovering from the COVID-19 crisis
Letter to House and Senate leaders urging a significant, long-term investment in public health infrastructure in future legislation to speed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to HHS Secretary Azar urging him to affirm the invaluable role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and resist any efforts that would undermine its mission
Letter to congressional leaders in support of legislation to increase COVID-19 testing to address the needs of our most vulnerable communities
Letter to HHS Secretary Azar urging the administration to renew the current public health emergency declaration for at least an additional 90 days before it expires
Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders applauding emergency COVID-19 funding and supporting a Health Defense Operations budget designation to improve public health and pandemic preparedness
Letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting an extension of child nutrition waivers through September to support access to nutrition services for communities affected by COVID-19
Letter to congressional leaders outlining funding priorities as the U.S. begins to prepare for the allocation, distribution and administration of a new COVID-19 pandemic vaccine
Letter thanking Senate sponsors of the Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act
Letter urging Congress to include H.R. 6561, the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020, in the next COVID-19 legislative response package
Letter to Congress in support of including $100 million for the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies program in the next COVID-19 legislative response package
Letter to members of Congress urging them to co-sponsor the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act, which would provide $100 billion in emergency rental and housing assistance to individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Letter to Congress requesting that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients be allowed to maintain DACA work authorization during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Congress and to the Department of Health and Human Services calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update the COVID-19 surveillance system to collect data on race, ethnicity, sex, age, primary language, sexual orientation, disability status, gender identity and socioeconomic status
Letter to Congress in support of $10 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect and support breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to House and Senate leaders signed by APHA’s Georges Benjamin and other former state health officials in support of a robust and sustained investment in public health in future COVID-19 legislation
Letter urging Congress to pass the COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020
Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging adequate funding and support for school nutrition programs to combat food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to congressional leaders in support of additional funding and other measures to protect the public's health and economic security in future COVID-19 relief legislation
Letter to Congress in support of ensuring access to affordable health insurance, adequate financial support for states, localities, territories and tribes, providing worker protection and other provisions key to protecting families during the COVID-19 pandemic
Public health brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit opposing the state of Arkansas's decision to restrict access to abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Congress in support of bolstering school meal and nutrition programs on the frontline of ensuring community access to healthy food during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Congress in support of investing in safety net providers that provide maternal and child health services, STI testing and other essential care
Letter to Congress in support of increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to congressional leaders supporting the inclusion of the Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019, in the next legislative vehicle to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to House and Senate leaders urging a significant, long-term investment in public health infrastructure in future legislation to speed pandemic response
Letter to the administration urging action to alleviate the critical national shortage of ventilators and personal protective equipment
Letter to Congress in support of actions to protect the food system and food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to the administration urging maintaining public health guided distancing efforts nationwide to prevent COVID-19 infections until medical evidence indicates it is safe to relax them
Letters to Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders requesting a high-level, comprehensive review of the COVID-19 response once the immediate public health emergency subsides
Comments to the Department of Labor regarding implementation of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act provisions in the recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Letter to Congress and administration officials with recommendations to protect the health of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting additional nutrition waivers to support individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Congress opposing a provision in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which would exclude nonprofit clinics that receive Medicaid reimbursement from receiving stimulus loans during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Congress in support of increasing Medicaid matching funds and direct aid to states during the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Congress in support of the PAID Leave Act
Letter to the vice president and congressional leaders in support of additional actions to address mental health and substance use needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic
Letter to Senate leaders urging investment in public health infrastructure in future COVID-19 response legislation
Letter opposing a provision in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act that would remove CDC from helping manage the Strategic National Stockpile
Nonprofit organization letter to Congress with recommendations for assistance to help the nonprofit sector stay engaged serving the American people during the COVID-19 outbreak
Letter to Vice President Pence and congressional leaders urging additional actions as the U.S. faces a sharp increase in community transmission of COVID-19
Letter to U.S. Department of Labor urging approval of a petition for an OSHA emergency temporary standard for infectious disease
Letter from more than 1,000 organizations and individuals urging the Trump administration to reverse course and continue funding the World Health Organization
Letter in support of the Paid Sick Days for Public Health Emergencies and Personal and Family Care Act
APHA applauds critical funding to fight COVID-19 (APHA news release)
Letter in support of the Healthy Families Act, which would create a national paid sick days standard
Letter to Vice President Pence and other government leaders regarding principles and practices that should guide the efforts against COVID-19 in the U.S.
Letter to Congressional leaders urging adequate funding for the government's COVID-19 public health emergency response