Biden Says ‘Pandemic Is Over’ — Which May Muddle His Requests For Funding
The president's comments, which aired in an interview Sunday night, were off the cuff and took several of his own health officials by surprise, news media outlets reported. Some Republicans immediately questioned why they should approve millions more for covid funding if the global emergency is done.
The Washington Post:
Biden Says ‘Pandemic Is Over’
President Biden declared the coronavirus pandemic “over,” in apparently off-the-cuff remarks that reflect the growing sentiment that the threat of the virus has receded, even as hundreds of Americans continue to die of covid each day. “We still have a problem with covid,” Biden said on “60 Minutes,” which aired Sunday night. “We’re still doing a lot of work on it … but the pandemic is over.” Biden made the remarks Wednesday during an interview at the auto show in Detroit, referencing the crowds at the event. The annual auto show had not been held since 2019. (Diamond, 9/18)
Politico:
Biden On ‘60 Minutes’: ‘The Pandemic Is Over’
Biden’s insistence on Sunday night that the pandemic is over caught several of his own health officials by surprise. The declaration was not part of his planned remarks ahead of the “60 Minutes” interview, two administration officials familiar with the matter told POLITICO. Later in the interview, Biden was clear that he didn’t take the overall effects of the pandemic lightly. “The impact on the psyche of the American people as a consequence of the pandemic is profound,” he said. (Cohen and Cancryn, 9/18)
The Hill:
Biden: ‘The Pandemic Is Over’
Biden has in the past argued that the United States had turned a corner on the pandemic, most notably during a speech on Independence Day in 2021, when he asserted the country had the tools necessary to “declare independence” from the virus. But in the weeks that followed, the delta variant contributed to a surge in cases and deaths. And in late 2021 into early 2022, the omicron variant again led to a spike in cases and deaths. Newly available booster shots were designed specifically to shield Americans from severe cases of the omicron variant. (Samuels, 9/18)
NPR:
Joe Biden Said The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Over, But The Data Says Otherwise
The National Institutes of Health defines a pandemic as "an epidemic of disease, or other health condition, that occurs over a widespread area (multiple countries or continents) and usually affects a sizable part of the population." So are we really in the clear? (Archie, 9/19)
