U.S. Covid public health emergency ends, leaving behind a battered health system

The U.S. public health emergency declared in response to Covid-19 comes to an end Thursday more than three years after the pandemic began.

The Biden administration’s decision to end the emergency comes as deaths and hospitalizations have declined dramatically due to the availability of vaccines, antiviral treatments and widespread exposure to the virus.

Deaths from Covid have fallen to their lowest point since March 2020, when the rapid spread of the virus in the U.S. overwhelmed the health system and lead to widespread shutdowns of schools, businesses and public venues.

Hospital admissions from the virus have...