‘This is going to hit most people.’ The COVID state of emergency has ended — but the need for support hasn’t.

When the world started to return to “normal” in the summer of 2021, Kayla O’Mahony was young, fit, healthy, and fully vaccinated for COVID-19. She had little reason to be concerned for her health and safety — or so she thought.

Soon after O’Mahony started opening her life back up, she contracted COVID-19. What was initially a so-called mild infection (meaning she didn’t require hospitalization) consisting of fever, loss of taste and smell, nausea, and body aches turned into a two-year, ongoing infection that turned her life upside down.

She became disabled and had to move in with her mom for almost a year. She lost her job as a local farmer. And she hasn’t been able to experience the simple joys of seeing friends spontaneously (only if they have a negative PCR test and isolate days in advance).

So when O’Mahony learned that the federal COVID-19 public health emergency was terminated on May 11, she was in disbelief.

» READ MORE: Years after hospitalization, those who got sickest from the pandemic still struggle with long COVID

“The end of the state of emergency is not a declaration of the end of a pandemic — it’s just the end of the support for the pandemic,” O’Mahony said. “It’s infuriating to me.”

Under the emergency declaration, folks could access free COVID-19 vaccines, onsite and at-home tests, and Paxlovid — an antiviral that helps high-risk patients prevent severe illness. That will slowly change, as manufacturers are authorized to determine prices after the free vaccine and Paxlovid supplies run out, and insurance providers are no longer required to waive costs.

For example, PCR tests — which are the most reliably accurate COVID tests, and the ones people like O’Mahony rely on to avoid infection — are estimated to cost about $130 out-of-pocket, as opposed to $20 during the emergency declaration. And they’re becoming harder and harder to find.

“It just makes it less possible for me to see people regularly in a meaningful way.”

This isn’t a problem for uninsured or disenfranchised people only,” said Jose Torradas, a physician and co-founder of local nonprofit Medicos Unidos. “This is going to hit most people.”

And that impact will be particularly felt by people in the sick and disabled communities.

Data shows that as of January 2023, 15% of adults in the U.S. reported having experienced long COVID at some point. The same goes for immunocompromised people, who are estimated to make up roughly 3% of the adult U.S. population.

Leah Garrity was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, a bone marrow failure called aplastic anemia, on Jan. 1, 2020. She needed to start masking, social distancing, and staying away from sick people two months before the rest of the world did.

“The hardest part has probably been this past year,” said Garrity. “It’s not talked about, people want to move on, but the reality is the same. The first year, at least it felt like everyone was at least somewhat on the same page.”

There’s a lack of education and awareness about the virus and how to protect oneself and others from contracting it, Garrity and O’Mahony said. But the failure of taking the pandemic seriously, which has been taking place across the political spectrum, has been a chief frustration for people who are still at-risk — particularly with masking.

» READ MORE: The COVID-19 emergency may be declared over, but resources are still available. Here’s where to find help in Philadelphia.

When Garrity goes to the hospital for her treatments, for example, most people are unmasked. When O’Mahony recently had a COVID-19 scare, the nurse who conducted her PCR test was unmasked.

The changing policies and limited access to resources affect not just their physical , but also mental health.

“It just makes it less possible for me to see people regularly in a meaningful way,” Garrity said.

“It’s important to recognize that vulnerable people also deserve some sort of access to joy and fun activities, and still feel safe.”

The Inquirer compiled information on where you can find resources for COVID-19 across Philadelphia.