COVID test kits, treatments and vaccines won't be free to many consumers much longer

Starting May 11 most people will have to pay for those at-home test kits for COVID-19, as the federal government's declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency officially ends. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Time is running out for free-to-consumer COVID-19 vaccines, at-home test kits and even some treatments.

The White House announced this month that the national public health emergency, first declared in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, is set to expire May 11. When it ends, so will many of the policies designed to combat the virus's spread.