COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ends: What It Means For Testing, Vaccines In Maryland

MARYLAND — The COVID-19 public health emergency is expiring nationwide on Thursday, which affects how vaccines and testing are covered in Maryland.

The Maryland Department of Health recently announced changes to how it will continue providing COVID-19 information as the federal emergency ends. The department has launched a set of new COVID-19 webpages where residents can find information on vaccines, testing, treatment, data and other resources.

“These changes reflect the new phase of COVID-19 that we are in today,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott in a statement. “We will continue to actively monitor trends related to COVID-19 and offer robust information about COVID-19 on our new webpages."

Former Gov. Larry Hogan ended Maryland's COVID-19 state of emergency on June 15, 2021. All emergency mandates and restrictions ended July 1, 2021. That curtailed a statewide mask order in effect for any settings, including schools, camps, and child care facilities.

The COVID-19 information shared through these health websites — covidLINK.maryland.gov and coronavirus.maryland.gov — migrated to the new page and are no longer accessible. Visitors to these sites will be directed to the appropriate location. The department will continue to provide relevant information on COVID-19 as the federal response changes and as necessary for public health.

Maryland COVID data may be accessed on health.maryland.gov/COVID and the open data portal with a reporting cadence aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health reporting.

In addition to these website changes, which include replacing Maryland’s testing and vaccine locators with federal locators, the state health department is also changing its COVID contact tracing services. The system of outreach to COVID patients ended on April 25, and the MD COVID Alert system ended May 9.

However, outreach will continue in response to COVID-19 institutional outbreaks and other situations of public health importance, health officials said in a release. Local public health departments will continue to distribute at-home COVID-19 tests.

Much has changed since the World Health Emergency declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic over three years ago in March 2020. With much unknown about the virus at that time, the immediate response in Maryland was a scramble to prevent the spread with closures of schools, indoor dining and other facilities. In cases of severe illness from COVID-19, hospitalizations and deaths were a particular concern before the first COVID-19 vaccines became available to the public in late 2020 and early 2021.

Today, more is known about the virus, and millions have received COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. The Biden administration chose to end the national public health emergency on May 11 since health officials believe the virus is not as disruptive with the wide availability of vaccinations, treatments, and testing.

The public health emergency's end on Thursday comes less than a week after the World Health Organization declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency.

After the federal emergency ends, COVID-19 vaccines will largely remain free with insurance. For most people with insurance, vaccines recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, including COVID-19 vaccines, are covered by insurance without a copay. Medicaid will continue to cover COVID-19 vaccinations without a copay through at least September 2024.

For those without insurance, free COVID-19 vaccines continue to be available as long as supplies purchased by the federal government remain available. But once that supply paid for by the federal government runs out, free or reduced cost vaccination clinics may still be available through local health departments in the state. The federal government is planning a program to continue access to vaccines for uninsured or underinsured patients.

With the end of the public health emergency, insurance providers are no longer required to waive costs for at-home COVID-19 tests. Check with your insurance provider to see if at-home test costs are still covered by your insurance. Medicaid recipients can still get free at-home tests at least through September 2024. Costs for PCR testing may vary by insurance.

Residents can use the CDC’s No Cost COVID-19 Testing Locator or check with local Maryland health departments to find free options. Free at-home tests can still be ordered from the federal government.

Paxlovid, a treatment for severe COVID-19 illness, continues to be free through the federal government while supplies last. Residents needing treatment should talk to their health care provider.

The end of the public health emergency does not affect the emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines, testing and treatments.