Ohio health leaders address end of federal COVID-19 public health emergency

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Ohio health officials scheduled a press conference Thursday to mark the official end of the federal government’s national Public Health Emergency on COVID-19.

After three years, the national emergency allowed the government to take additional steps to respond to the pandemic. President Biden signed legislation ending the emergency last month.

“I don’t want people to misinterpret the end of the public health emergency with meaning that it is the end of COVID-19 as a public health threat,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the director of the Ohio Department of Health. He said 40-50 Ohioans are still dying every week from COVID-19.

The downgraded emergency declaration means many Americans will have to pay for COVID-19 tests and some treatments. The federal government will continue to pay for vaccines.

Separately, the World Health Organization said last week that COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency as it downgraded the pandemic.

Ohio has confirmed more than 3.4 million cases of COVID-19 since March 2020, though health officials have said at-home testing has made data tracking difficult. The state has also reported more than 140,000 hospitalizations related to the virus.

More than 42,000 Ohioans have died from COVID-19 since March 2020, according to Ohio Department of Health data.

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