Hospitals react to ending of COVID-19 emergency

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have announced the end of the COVID-19 emergency.

The ending of the emergency could mean changes for some hospitals, but that isn’t the case at St. Bernards Healthcare.

“The things that are truly coming to an end with the public health emergency are not things we’ve been utilizing. I would say it’s not going to have a huge impact on us and how we care for patients on a daily basis,” said Kasey Holder, Vice President of Medical Affairs at St. Bernards Healthcare.

The ending of the emergency will mean vaccines and testing for the coronavirus are no longer free.

Holder added the ending of the emergency is welcomed, they realize how real the virus is.

“We still do see patients coming into the hospital with COIVD, some of which are very sick and in our ICU, but many are not. They have a short stay, and they just need a little extra support,” Holder added. “It’s still around, but certainly not having the impact it was even a year ago.”

The emergency declaration officially ends on May 11.