This week will mark the end of the public health emergency declaration from the United States government. On May 11, 2023, COVID-19 is no longer going to be a public health emergency.
With this coming to an end, there will be a lot of changes that will soon come into effect. From having free vaccines, there will eventually come a time when we'll have to visit Pfizer, Moderna, and other companies and hope that our insurance can cover the cost that comes with protecting our life and health.
But just because the government has said ‘We’re done funding, we’re done putting the amount of support that we’re doing’ doesn’t mean that this is the end of the road; because COVID is not just going to disappear on May 11th. It’s still going to be here. COVID-19 is still going to affect people.
But as we move towards this stage of COVID-19 being endemic, the question that remains is how well are we prepared, knowing that we no longer have the government as the safety blanket.
Join me again in this week's episode as we discuss the future that lies ahead.
Why you need to check out this episode:
- Find out how the US government was able to make history with the largest adult vaccination program, and how that response helped make things a bit better during the pandemic;
- Understand the changes that can and will happen once the public health emergency declaration ends on the 11th of May, 2023; and
- Recognize the importance of being well-prepared and protected as we move towards this stage of COVID-19 being endemic
“I see a lot of tweets and posts like, ‘Wow, the calendar’s moving’. No, it’s moving the same as it moves every year. The question is, how intentionally are we moving while the calendar is moving?” –Dr. Berry Pierre
Topics Covered:
00:00 – This week’s focus: Final week of the effectiveness of public health emergency declaration
01:30 – Public health emergency declaration of COVID-19 ending: A throwback on what it looked like in 2020, and why moving on isn’t going to be as simple as putting it all in the past at once
07:04 – Once the declaration of public health emergency goes away, a lot of things will go away with it: The shift of responsibility from the federal government to the private companies
12:33 – Talking about the largest adult vaccination program: The Biden administration was able to create history with nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and how the restriction ended up being lifted
17:03 – The question that remains: How well are we prepared, knowing that we don’t have the government as the safety blanket?
21:06 – Dr. Berry’s thoughts: “It’s been very interesting two-plus years… If you are here, you survived, and I’m hoping that you continue to survive…”
Notable Quotes:
“When we talk about community building, not only are we talking about education; not only are we talking about prevention; not only are we talking about doing things together; but more importantly, empowering others to do so.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
“Just because the government has said ‘we’re done funding, we’re done putting the amount of support that we’re doing doesn’t mean that this is the end of the road because COVID is not just going to disappear on May 11th.”- Dr. Berry Pierre
“I do believe that as it continues to get further and further away from May 11, 2023, it’s going to be harder and harder for you to just get anything free associated with COVID-19. – Dr. Berry Pierre
“Understand that you are a part of an ecosystem, whether that ecosystem is you and your family, you and your loved ones, you and your gym buddies. You are part of an ecosystem that needs to be addressed and taken care of.” – Dr. Berry Pierre
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