On Wednesday, the Biden administration extended the national COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days. The move will prolong the period in which insurance and Medicaid is required to cover Covid-19 tests, and extend other pandemic related benefits. It comes at a moment when cases continue to rise in some parts of the country, but hospitalizations and deaths remain down.

We speak with New York Times science and global health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli about how the Biden administration and local leaders are handling the current stage of the pandemic.