By LAURA UNGAR, Related Press
Federal well being officers stated Tuesday they’re pulling again $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funds for state and native public well being departments and different well being organizations all through the nation.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers stated in an announcement.
The assertion stated the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention expects to recuperate the cash starting 30 days after termination notices, which started being despatched out on Monday.
FILE – An indication marks the doorway to the federal Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, on Oct. 8, 2013. (AP Photograph/David Goldman, File)
Lori Freeman, CEO of the Nationwide Affiliation of County & Metropolis Well being Officers, stated a lot of the funding was set to finish quickly anyway. “It’s ending in the next six months,” she stated. “There’s no reason — why rescind it now? It’s just cruel and unusual behavior.”
In a associated transfer, greater than two dozen COVID-related analysis grants funded by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being have been canceled. Earlier this month, the Trump administration shut down ordering from covidtest.gov, the positioning the place People may have COVID-19 exams delivered to their mailboxes for no cost.
Though the COVID federal public well being emergency has ended, the virus remains to be killing People: 458 individuals per week on common have died from COVID over the previous 4 weeks, in line with CDC knowledge.
Freeman stated her understanding is that state well being departments already had the COVID cash.
“The funding was authorized by Congress, was appropriated by Congress, and it was out the door, basically, into the hands of the grantees” — states, she stated, which determine how one can distribute it domestically.
Among the COVID cash is used to deal with different public well being points, Freeman added. For instance, wastewater surveillance that started throughout COVID grew to become necessary for detecting different ailments, too.
“It was being used in significant ways to track flu and patterns of new disease and emerging diseases — and even more recently with the measles outbreak,” Freeman stated.
Below each the primary Trump administration and the Biden administration, billions of {dollars} was allotted for COVID response by laws, together with a COVID aid invoice and the American Rescue Plan Act.
At this level, it’s unclear precisely how well being departments can be affected by the pullback of funds. However some have been beginning to take a look at what it’d imply for them. In Washington state, for instance, well being officers have been notified that greater than $125 million in COVID-related funding has been instantly terminated. They’re “assessing the impact” of the actions, they stated.
Related Press reporters Mike Stobbe in New York, JoNel Aleccia in Temecula, California, Carla Okay. Johnson in Seattle and Amanda Seitz in Washington, D.C. contributed to this story.
The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives help from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The AP is solely chargeable for all content material.
