Mary Wilson
Well-known member
Published 01 March 2023
BMJ 2023; 380
doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p489
Abraar Karan, infectious disease doctor
If we're to be ready for the next pandemic, we can’t fall back into the same cycle of panic-neglect, writes Abraar Karan
On 30 January 2023, President Joe Biden announced the near end of the covid-19 public health emergency that was put in place in the United States by the Trump administration in 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) has signalled that it too may end covid-19’s designation as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) when meeting in the coming months, although for now it hasn’t made any changes.1
Concerns have been raised about the implications of ending the emergency phase of the pandemic in the US.2 It will mean the loss of Medicaid coverage for between 5 to 14 million Americans, including people who are still eligible but who may have a hard time navigating the renewal process.3 People with disabilities or a limited proficiency in English, for example, may be particularly hurt. Ending the emergency will affect access to rapid tests, therapeutics (like Paxlovid), and vaccines.4 It will also cause disruptions to the healthcare system—we’ll have to revert to previous regulatory requirements and former, stricter rules on telehealth and prescribing practices.
Other commentators have argued that the US’s emergency phase was extended for far too long, and that the powers it granted the president were used to promote agendas beyond those strictly needed for pandemic control.5 Some say that covid-19 is more treatable now than in 2020, obviating the need for the same level of urgency.6 Similarly, arguments have been made both for and against the WHO ending covid’s designation as a PHEIC, including that it would signal incorrectly that covid-19 was no longer a serious health problem, but that it technically doesn’t meet PHEIC criteria any longer.7 ...
https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p489
BMJ 2023; 380
doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p489
Abraar Karan, infectious disease doctor
If we're to be ready for the next pandemic, we can’t fall back into the same cycle of panic-neglect, writes Abraar Karan
On 30 January 2023, President Joe Biden announced the near end of the covid-19 public health emergency that was put in place in the United States by the Trump administration in 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) has signalled that it too may end covid-19’s designation as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) when meeting in the coming months, although for now it hasn’t made any changes.1
Concerns have been raised about the implications of ending the emergency phase of the pandemic in the US.2 It will mean the loss of Medicaid coverage for between 5 to 14 million Americans, including people who are still eligible but who may have a hard time navigating the renewal process.3 People with disabilities or a limited proficiency in English, for example, may be particularly hurt. Ending the emergency will affect access to rapid tests, therapeutics (like Paxlovid), and vaccines.4 It will also cause disruptions to the healthcare system—we’ll have to revert to previous regulatory requirements and former, stricter rules on telehealth and prescribing practices.
Other commentators have argued that the US’s emergency phase was extended for far too long, and that the powers it granted the president were used to promote agendas beyond those strictly needed for pandemic control.5 Some say that covid-19 is more treatable now than in 2020, obviating the need for the same level of urgency.6 Similarly, arguments have been made both for and against the WHO ending covid’s designation as a PHEIC, including that it would signal incorrectly that covid-19 was no longer a serious health problem, but that it technically doesn’t meet PHEIC criteria any longer.7 ...
https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p489