Local News on WXHC.com is brought to you by:
Today marks the official end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration by the federal government. With this though, Cortland County officials are informing the public that most of the tools the county has used to prevent COVID-19 in the county, will not be impacted.
In a press release from the Cortland County Health Department, they remind that with the end of the declaration does not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a threat and those in the community should remain up to date with their vaccinations, get tested, and avoid those who show symptoms of COVID-19.
Vaccine access will remain the same as it was with availability, and costs of the COVID-19 vaccine, boosters included, not being impacted by the end of the public health emergency. This is determined by the supply of federally purchased vaccines, not the public health emergency.
For treatment with those who have COVID-19, the drug Paxlovid, will remain available for no cost while the supply of the drug purchased by the federal government lasts. Once the government supply ends, the price will then be determined by the manufacturer and your health insurance.
Home Tests will no longer be required to waive costs by insurance providers or provide free COVID-19 home tests. Coverage for the tests will vary by insurance type.
Lastly, for COVID-19 data reporting, the County Health Department has relied on CDC Community Level to communicate risk and COVID-19 prevention recommendations for those in the community. Today, the CDC Community Level is discontinued and will be replaced with other metrics. For now, the County Health Department is “unsure” what local data reporting for COVID-19 moving forward.
