May 11, 2023 by Pitkin County

On May eleventh, 2023 the National Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration involves an finish. Over the final yr the impression because of Covid-19 has considerably declined, prompting this essential shift in our response to the Covid-19 pandemic. While Covid-19 isn’t going wherever, it continues to pose a well being danger to sure people and can proceed to evolve into new and unknown variants, with vaccination and therapy choices we are able to mitigate the danger. 

You can learn the press launch concerning the top of the PHE from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) here or extra concerning the nationwide image from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) here and from Health and Human Services (HHS) here.

What does the top of the PHE imply for Pitkin County?

• Vaccination, Testing and Treatment: Access to vaccines, testing and therapy will now be solely out there at medical suppliers similar to every other sickness. Vaccines and coverings which have already been bought by the federal authorities will proceed to be out there freed from cost whereas provides final, however people shall be charged for administration companies primarily based on their insurance coverage.
  • Medicare and Medicaid Coverage: Treatments and vaccination will proceed to be lined previous the top of the PHE, please learn extra from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
  • Uninsured Individuals: If people are uninsured, please attain out to Pitkin County Health and Human Services for choices to entry care. You may also learn extra about fast Covid-19 testing, vaccine and therapy choices by studying here.
• Funding: Wide scale funding was made out there to ensure that native public well being departments to have the ability to reply to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Pitkin County which means that with the top of this funding there’ll now not be public vaccination clinics or testing facilities and that the general public well being workers particularly devoted to the Covid-19 response will now not be out there despite the fact that Pitkin County Public Health will proceed to observe and reply to Covid-19 in the neighborhood.
• Data: The method that information is collected with regard to Covid-19 is altering on the federal stage which can change the info made out there to Pitkin County Public Health.
  • The Pitkin County Public Health Data Dashboard shall be sunsetting on the finish of June, 2023. 
  • Data Metrics may even change; particular person case counts, % positivity in addition to different particular hospital metrics will now not be out there. 
  • The cadence of different information, akin to genomic and wastewater surveillance will decline however will proceed into the long run. 

Going ahead, Covid-19 response shall be built-in into customary medical practices and illness response. Pitkin County Public Health is dedicated to proceed to answer Covid-19 primarily based on greatest practices and tips set by the CDC and CDPHE in addition to to be out there to the general public to assist reply any questions concerning these and any future adjustments in suggestions and tips.