Dr Anthony Fauci commented that the United States was no longer in the “pandemic phase” of COVID-19, the latest confusing statement from President Biden’s chief medical adviser on the coronavirus.
Biden and Fauci officials on Wednesday struggled to stress that the country was still in the midst of a pandemic and that urgent action was still needed after Fauci told PBS just the opposite.
“We’re here. It’s the end of April. It’s the spring of 2022. How close are we to the end of the pandemic?” PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff asked Fauci on Tuesday.
“We are certainly out of the pandemic phase in this country at the moment,” Fauci said. “Namely, we do not have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are currently at a low level.
Dr. Anthony Fauci insists the United States is now in a “controlled phase” of the pandemic. Shawn Thew / CNP / startraksphoto.com
“So if you’re saying we’re out of the pandemic phase in this country, it’s us,” he added.
A day later, after his comments became headlines around the world, Fauci sang a different tune. “We are at a different time than the pandemic,” Fauci told the Associated Press on Wednesday. The United States “slowed down and moved into a more controlled phase” after a winter jump, he added.
“This does not mean that the pandemic is over,” Fauci said as he turned 180 degrees.
Fauci overturned a decision by a Florida judge to lift his travel mask mandate. John Moore / Getty Images
He told the Washington Post on Wednesday: “The world is still in a pandemic. There is no doubt about that. Let no one be misinterpreted. “
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki asked during a daily press briefing why urgent action is still needed if the “pandemic phase” ends.
“Well, what Dr. Fauci said is that we are in a different phase of this pandemic, and that’s absolutely true,” Psaki said, adding that the level of hospitalizations and deaths has dropped.
Dr Anthony Fauci said earlier that the country was no longer experiencing “900,000 new infections a day.” Mario Tama / Getty Images
“We also know that COVID is not over and the pandemic is not over,” she said.
“People are still getting COVID and we have measures that we all need to continue to take to protect ourselves,” Psaki said.
This is not the first time the counselor has made a declaration or proposal to return it hours later.
Late last year, he speculated that a booster injection would be needed to get someone “fully vaccinated,” and said days later that the extra dose would not be needed to get there.
Dr. Anthony Fauci recommends that domestic airline passengers be vaccinated against COVID-19. Scott Olson / Getty Images
He also seemed to be advocating for a demand for a vaccine on domestic flights, but then said people should not expect a federal mandate requiring passengers to be stabbed.
Fauci, 81, decided to skip the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday over fears of a coronavirus. The decision, first announced by CNN, came although President Biden himself plans to attend.
Fauci had attended a dinner at the Gridiron Club on April 2, where few guests were disguised. Dozens of those present later tested positive for the virus.
Earlier this month, Fauci expressed support for individual Americans who make their own medical risk assessments when it comes to COVID-19.
“This will not be eradicated and will not be eliminated,” he told ABC’s “This Week”. “And what will happen is that we will see that everyone will have to calculate the amount of risk they want to take.
Fauci’s encouraging rhetoric contrasted sharply with the terrible warnings he issued at the start of the pandemic, urging Americans to follow instructions for social distancing and disguise.
However, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert recently criticized a Florida federal judge’s decision to overturn an extension of the Biden administration’s policy that requires masks on public transportation.
“The CDC has the ability, through a large number of trained epidemiologists, scientists, to make predictions and make recommendations,” he told CBS News. “Much more than a judge with no experience in public health.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci announced that the cases of COVID-19 “will not be eliminated” permanently. Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Fauci’s comments came when the United States experienced a small increase in positive infections with COVID-19, driven by the BA.2 subvariant of the virus. In the District of Columbia, dozens of lawmakers, journalists and government officials tested positive this month after attending various dinners and events.
Earlier this month, however, Fauci said the option did not “seem to involve an increase in hospitalizations and serious illness”.
With postal wires
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