The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that they are pulling back $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funds for state and local public health departments and other health organizations, citing the end of the pandemic and the need to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on a non-existent crisis.
The funding was largely used for testing, vaccination, global projects, community health workers, and addressing health disparities among underserved populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will start recovering the money within 30 days after termination notices were sent out.
However, some health officials are questioning the decision, as COVID-19 is still killing Americans, with an average of 458 deaths per week over the past four weeks. The federal government has not provided many details on how the funds will be recovered from recipients, but it is said that much of the money has already been distributed to state health departments.
The pullback of funds has already affected research grants and COVID testing services. Health departments in various states, such as Maine and Washington, are assessing the impact of the terminated grants, with some expecting to lose core funding for vaccinations and other services.
It remains to be seen how the withdrawal of funds will impact public health departments and their ability to address other health issues beyond COVID-19. Some believe that the funding cuts are unnecessary, while others argue that the money could be used for other public health initiatives, such as flu tracking and disease surveillance.
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