The World Health Organization on Friday ended the global health emergency for COVID-19 after close to three years. The Biden Administration is set to end the country’s national health emergency on May 11.
On Friday, the Washington State Department of Health held a video briefing to offer guidance on what the emergency endings mean.
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The DOH said the pandemic itself is not over and that the virus is still spreading, making some people very sick and leaving some with long-term effects.
The first official documented case of COVID-19 was made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Snohomish County on Jan. 21, 2020 — exactly 1,200 days ago Friday.
The DOH said Long COVID still affects more than 300,000 people in Washington.
The state will still be giving out free COVID tests online at the Say Yes! COVID Test website, but that service also comes to an end May 11.
Another tool going away next week is Washington’s phone notification system, WA Notify, which lets people know if they’ve been exposed to someone infected with COVID. There were 2.5 million notifications made in the last two years. The app will not work after next Thursday, but you’re still urged to report a positive test to the state online.
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