Biden Interview: Pandemic is 'Over'

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Facts

  • In an appearance on 60 Minutes on Sunday, US Pres. Biden said that he believed the COVID pandemic phase is "over," though he acknowledged that the US still has a "problem" with the virus that has killed over 1M Americans.
  • Last week, the WHO declared the end of the pandemic was "in sight," with global weekly deaths at their lowest level since March 2020. Despite this, nearly 400 people per day continue to die of COVID in the US.
  • During the interview, Biden asserted that the US is "still doing a lot of work" on COVID, and, "if you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing."
  • The White House revealed earlier this month that Biden will request from Congress $22.4B for COVID response ahead of a potential surge in fall cases.
  • The CDC, though having yet to declare an end to the pandemic, has also eased its COVID restrictions, including issuing the same guidance to both the vaccinated and unvaccinated and shortening the quarantine period from 10 days to 5.
  • The statements did generate critique from some of Biden's fellow Democrats who believe the pandemic is ongoing. Biden admin. officials later expressed that his statement wasn't part of planned remarks.

Sources: CNN, Guardian, Politico, Reuters, NPR Online News, and New York Post.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by LA Times.  Even as society begins to "move on," COVID is still killing hundreds of Americans a day, and inflicting great suffering on long haulers. Though death tolls have fallen from their grim peaks, many are still not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all, and the issue of underlying health conditions will continue. COVID shouldn't be erased from our awareness even if things are "better" for many Americans.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Axios. Many Americans are understandably ready to roll the credits on the COVID pandemic and live with the virus. Even if there are continued arguments over whether the pandemic is "technically" over or not, tired Americans are tuning out public health messaging and many have turned the page. Data shows a willingness of Americans to calculate their individual risk and make their own decisions.

Predictions