The Los Angeles Post

HOW THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS COULD AFFECT THE COVID RESPONSE

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The national status of public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic may expire, and the White House Covid team could get phased out as early as mid-2023.

 

By then, there may be new governors in office from the midterm elections. State legislatures may also see a wave of change as seats open and get filled. All of this could have significant implications on the COVID response and surveillance of the coronavirus, experts warn, potentially putting the public at risk.

  • The public health emergency status gives the federal government and certain agencies the funding and authority to take action. For example, it gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the authority to require all the states and territories to report COVID-19 data.
  • In addition, federal funding paid for the coronavirus vaccines and made the shots accessible to everyone regardless of insurance coverage. All of that could be at risk pending the results of the midterms.

New state representatives and governors will have the power to enact laws around data sharing and privacy that might limit COVID reporting.

 

There’s already been cases of state laws limiting health departments’ ability to require vaccination.