After more than three years, over 6 million hospitalizations, and 1.1 million American deaths, the Biden Administration has officially declared an end to the federal Covid-19 public health emergency as of May 11, 2023. In a fact sheet summarizing the decision, the US Department of Health and Human Services stated that since January 2021, Covid-19-related hospitalizations and deaths have declined by 91 percent and 95 percent, respectively. With the World Health Organization also declaring earlier this month that Covid-19 is now merely a global health threat, rather than an "emergency of international concern," May 2023 marks a watershed in the pandemic. However, some experts fear that such declarations can be misleading. "When the government sends the messaging that Covid-19 is largely over, I don't think it's helpful," says Harvard University epidemiologist William Hanage. "I would argue that the ongoing cost of Covid should be less than we are tolerating. People are still dying, and the frustrating thing is that many of these deaths are preventable." Here's what you should know heading into this new phase. | 
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