NCDHHS announces changes to COVID-19 response as pandemic ebbs

COVID-19 will no longer be considered a federal public health emergency as of May 11. With that in mind, North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services has announced some changes to its response efforts. 

The changes are being made as COVID-19 evolves into a routine part of public health and health care activities.

NCDHHS ended services at community testing sites on March 31, citing the widespread availability of home-testing kits.

While the state will continue to monitor cases, those metrics will be incorporated into other respiratory illness data. A new summary dashboard will list respiratory-related visits to emergency departments, hospital admissions for COVID-19 and flu patients, and wastewater surveillance statistics.

For now, the state will continue to update vaccination data monthly, but that information will be phased out May 31. The data will continue to be available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Also, starting June 1 North Carolinians will no longer be able to access their COVID-19 vaccination records through NCDHHS, and instead must contact their individual providers.