UNITED STATES: Although several nations are still battling the deadly illness, US President Joe Biden declared that the “COVID-19 pandemic is gone” during a recent interview.
In response to a question regarding it, Biden stated, “The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. It’s– but the pandemic is over. “
His declaration caught the American public health establishment and some government officials off guard as soon as the show was broadcast on Sunday night.
Science pundits struggled for hours to comprehend the reasoning behind his claim that the pandemic had ended.
The “end is in sight” for the pandemic, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
No one is wearing masks, as Biden pointed out. “Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape… I think it’s changing.”
However, government representatives told US media on Monday that there were no plans to end the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency and that the comments did not indicate a policy change.
The public health emergency, which has been in effect since January 2020, was extended by US authorities in August through to October 13th.
Since the coronavirus epidemic first appeared, more than a million Americans have died.
Johns Hopkins University data reveals that there had been over 3,000 fatalities in the previous week, bringing the seven-day average to over 400.
Comparatively, over the course of one week in January 2021, the virus was believed to have killed over 23,000 people. It’s estimated that 65% of Americans have received all recommended vaccinations.
The US still has some federal vaccination requirements, notably those for medical staff, military employees, and some foreign nationals flying into the country.
Leading Republicans criticised the president’s comments, with former secretary of state Mike Pompeo tweeting: “Biden now declares ‘the pandemic is over’ as he’s booting out tens of thousands of healthy soldiers with his COVID vaccine mandate.”
Public health officials have recently expressed cautious confidence that the world is moving closer to a pandemic recovery, but they continue to caution people to exercise caution.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke on Monday.
The daily fatality rate, though, he claimed, remained “unacceptably high” in remarks delivered to a Washington, DC, think tank.
Dr Fauci stated, “We are not where we need to be if we’re going to be able to ‘live with the virus. He added that a new COVID-19 variation could still appear, particularly during the upcoming winter.”
Federal health officials have urged Americans to maintain a current vaccination schedule as the US recently authorised new vaccines that match the version of the Omicron strain that is most prevalent in the nation.
Impact of COVID-19 in US
The National Bureau of Economic Research reported last week that the COVID-19 virus had reduced US employment by around 500,000 people, indicating that COVID-19 still has a big impact on the US economy.
According to Mr Biden, the pandemic has had a “profound” effect on Americans’ mental health.
He remarked, “That has transformed everyone’s sentiments—their attitudes about themselves, their families, the state of the country, and the state of their communities. It’s been a very difficult time. Very difficult.”
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 6.5 million individuals worldwide have perished. Brazil, India, and the US are the countries with the most fatalities.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 400 people in the United States die from COVID-19 every day, and over 4,300 people are admitted to hospitals daily.
