On May 11, the central pillar of the country's pandemic response — the declaration of a national emergency that began March 1, 2020 — will come down. But Americans will continue to have access to the vaccines, drugs and medical devices that were authorized for emergency use against COVID-19, so long as they remain sufficiently safe and effective in the view of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The antiviral medication Paxlovid will not disappear from pharmacy shelves. Children under 12 will still be able to get booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Adolescents and adults will have the option of getting a dose of the Novavax vaccine.
Coronavirus tests that require you to swab your nose will remain available online and in stores. And myriad lab tests, blood processing devices and specialized pieces of personal protective equipment authorized for use in the pandemic will still be used in commercial labs, research centers and hospitals.
