GREENVILLE — The federal government plans to end the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. This means that the federal Public Health Emergency declared on Jan. 31, 2020 and the COVID-19 national emergency declared by President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020 will expire.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised the COVID-19 pandemic is still a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, a status that is reassessed every three months. “COVID-19 remains a dangerous infectious disease with the capacity to cause substantial damage to health and health systems” said the WHO’s advisory committee.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also remains dedicated to preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19, particularly for populations at higher risk. The end of the PHE does not mean the end of CDC’s emergency response to COVID-19. The CDC is actively working with other federal government agencies and offices to maintain equitable access to vaccines, testing, and therapeutics to the extent possible. The end of PHE also does not mean the current national vaccine distribution will end or that a transition to commercialization will begin.

The Darke County General Health District continues to offer COVID-19 vaccinations at no cost on a walk-in basis on Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m. The office is located at 300 Garst Avenue in Greenville.

For more information on the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, visit https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-and-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency and https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/legal/Pages/phe-qa.aspx . For any questions, call the Darke County General Health District at 937-548-4196 ext. 211.