LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The public health emergency for COVID-19 is officially over.
It's been a long three years under COVID guidelines — putting on masks, getting tested for the virus, and getting vaccines to protect ourselves and others.
Thousands of people have lost their loved ones in the last few years. In the U.S., there have been over a million deaths from the COVID virus. In Kentucky, 18,000 people have died and in Indiana over 26,000 people have died.
While the public health emergency has ended, COVID-19 is still an ongoing health issue.
"Many of the millions and millions of people who were infected by this virus, some have recovered completely, and some have not," Dr. Ashley Montgomery Yates, Chief Medical Officer for University of Kentucky Good Samaritan Hospital and director of the UK HealthCare ICU Recovery Clinic, said.
Yates said recovery looks different for everyone; some people are still weak from long stints on ventilators while others are suffering from debilitating mental health issues.
"PTSD and anxiety and depression have sort of permeated the recovery groups," Yates said.
Yates and other Lexington doctors spoke to news outlets on Thursday, May 11 in true pandemic style, via Zoom, to commemorate the official end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some factors they hope stick with everyone include the importance of masking and vaccines.
"If you have a respiratory illness, even something that you think is allergies, if you're sneezing and coughing put a mask on for others because we know that masks help decrease transmission," Dr. Mark Dougherty, infectious disease specialist with Baptist Health Lexington, said.
Doctors encourage doing this as summer approaches and a surge of the most contagious variant is expected.
One doctor even spent a month in the hospital in March 2020.
"The good news is I survived and I'm doing well. We can't forget the people who didn't," Dr. Jeff Fox, retired, said. "COVID's still out there. Still be vigilant. Keep your vaccines up to date."
As for healthcare system as a whole, they say the shortage the pandemic caused is felt everywhere.
"Every piece of the health care sort of puzzle has been weakened," Yates said.
In a Team Kentucky Update, Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said though COVID-19 will not disappear -- with all 120 counties in the green -- the state has come a long way.
"I hope we'll take a moment to be grateful that we have indeed gotten through this, and we've gotten through it together," Stack said.
He says the CDC map that shows all 120 counties will be retired on Thursday because that data will no longer be collected.
However, the federal government will collect hospitalization data weekly.
As for vaccines, Stack said they are still available at no cost for now, but later this year most people will have to use insurance for boosters.
Lastly, he said insurance companies will no longer be required to pay for 8 free tests per month.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.