Certain free COVID-19 services, including vaccinations and test kits, will end in Whatcom County in the coming weeks, after the federal public health emergency declared three years ago expires on May 11.
County Health and Community Services will continue to offer free COVID-19 vaccine clinics through June 2, according to a county health alert. The department will provide an update if this program is extended.
Otherwise, people seeking COVID-19 vaccinations, testing or treatment may need to pay for these services, depending on their insurance coverage. After May 11, residents will no longer be able to order mail-delivery of free home test kits via the Say Yes COVID Home Test website.
The county alert cautioned that COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death in the U.S.
“The virus will continue to evolve, and public health systems will continue to monitor and respond to these changes,” the notice said.
The state’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 2,332 cases over a seven-day period in mid-April. When the disease was at its peak, in January 2022, the state had 60 times as many cases — more than 140,000 in a seven-day period.
The national death toll from COVID-19 was 1,052 for the week ending April 26. Deaths from the disease peaked in January 2021, when 23,629 people died from COVID-19 in a one-week period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 1.13 million Americans have died from COVID-19, per CDC data.
