Biden Administration Extends COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

A health care professional prepares to enter a COVID-19 patient's room in the ICU at Van Wert County Hospital in Van Wert, Ohio, on Nov. 20, 2020. Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed on Jan. 11 that it has extended the federal COVID-19 state of emergency.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra issued a declaration, saying that “after consultation with public health officials as necessary,” the administration decided to renew the emergency declaration that was first issued in early 2020 during the Trump administration. Including the latest declaration, the federal emergency has been renewed about a dozen times since then.