US COVID-19 Emergency Declarations to End May 11

The Biden administration announced this week that COVID-19 emergency declarations will expire on May 11.

The Details: Former President Donald Trump enacted the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency in early 2020. Biden has extended the measures multiple times, which allow millions of Americans to get free COVID-19 treatments, tests, and vaccines. Those costs will be transferred to private insurance and government health plans when the declarations expire. The Title 42 public health policy, which allows Border Patrol to quickly expel unauthorized migrants, will also end, according to the White House.

For Context: Biden said in September that "the pandemic is over." He then said on Tuesday that "The COVID emergency will end when the Supreme Court ends it," but it's unclear what he meant. Biden also incorrectly said Tuesday that the declarations will expire May 15, rather than the May 11. All House Republicans and seven Democrats voted to pass a bill Tuesday to immediately terminate the COVID-19 emergency and vaccine requirement for health care workers. It's expected to fail in the Senate.

How the Media Covered It: Some left-rated sources, such as CNN, focused on the benefits that will expire in May, who will be affected, and how prices for vaccines and treatments are expected to go up. Some right-rated sources, such as the New York Post and Fox News (Right bias), highlighted confusion around Biden's Supreme Court comment.