Into the unknown: The end of the coronavirus disease 2019 public health emergency in the United States and potential impacts on organ transplant recipients

Emily A Blumberg; Hannah H Nam; Shandie Covington; Lara Danziger-Isakov; Deepali Kumar; Marian G Michaels; Raymund R Razonable; Marcus R Pereira

doi:10.1016/j.ajt.2023.07.007

Into the unknown: The end of the coronavirus disease 2019 public health emergency in the United States and potential impacts on organ transplant recipients

Am J Transplant. 2023 Oct;23(10):1507-1510. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.07.007. Epub 2023 Jul 20.

Authors

Emily A Blumberg¹, Hannah H Nam², Shandie Covington³, Lara Danziger-Isakov⁴, Deepali Kumar⁵, Marian G Michaels⁶, Raymund R Razonable⁷, Marcus R Pereira⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Electronic address: eblumber@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
² University of California Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, California, USA.
³ American Society of Transplantation, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, USA.
⁴ Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
⁵ Ajmera Transplant Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
⁶ UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁷ Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
⁸ Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.

PMID: 37479033
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.07.007

Abstract

The public health emergency for coronavirus disease 2019 ended on April 11, 2023, 1 month earlier than its planned termination. The hasty cessation of emergency measures may negatively impact the care of solid organ transplant recipients and other immunosuppressed hosts. Accelerated pathways for drug and vaccine approvals, research funding, and insurance coverage for medical therapies and diagnostic testing are likely to be affected. Health care disparities that characterized the early pandemic may again be intensified. It is imperative that the transplant community promptly anticipate the impact of these changes and prepare accordingly to avoid disruptions in care for the most vulnerable patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; public health emergency; vaccination.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Organ Transplantation* / adverse effects
Public Health
Transplant Recipients
Transplants*
United States / epidemiology