(COLDWATER) – The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration will come to an end, effect May 30, 2023.

With that date coming, their will be changes to the COVID-19 testing services and the COVID-19 vaccination scheduling process offered by the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency.

The CHA will discontinue in person COVID-19 testing at both their Coldwater and Hillsdale locations. Self-service kiosks will offer PCR lab along with At Home Testing kits. The kiosks are available at the CHA offices in Sturgis and Three Rivers; along with Covered Bridge Health Care in Centreville and at the Goodwill Plaza in Coldwater.

The scheduling of COVID-19 vaccination appointments online will no longer be available after May 30. If you want to schedule an appointment after that date for any COVID-19 primary or booster dose, you can call your local CHA agency office and speak to the clinic staff.

CHA Health Officer Rebecca Burns says the end of the Public Health Emergency doesn’t mean COVID-19 is over. She says the CHA will continue providing and encouraging vaccinations, conduct disease monitoring, investigate outbreaks, and share guidance and resources as needed.

The CHA along with all other health agencies still recommend individuals isolate from others when sick, and monitor for signs of illness if you had a known exposure. Individuals who experience COVID-19 symptoms should continue to take precautions and seek medical care and treatment as appropriate.