Politico reports Covid-19 programs “around the country have shrunk over the last month, a consequence of Congress’ failure to provide fresh funding to combat the pandemic.” The “dried-up dollars are making it harder for the low-income people who rely on these providers for testing and vaccines to get them, threatening to widen health disparities across the country. Less access could also prolong the pandemic, allowing the virus to circulate and perhaps provide a haven for new, more dangerous variants.” The “cuts come amid a fresh increase in both infections and hospitalizations.” The stalled funding “could upend significant progress on mitigating racial disparities in Covid-19 outcomes and take the country back to the pandemic’s early days.”

From the news release of the American Association for Justice.