Biden calls pandemic “over” despite pathetic booster rates and new variants

In a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday night, President Joe Biden said that the swine flu epidemic is over. The comment drew a lot of attention and criticism. Administration officials have been trying to promote booster take up this fall. The president's comment was unexpected.

There's still a problem with Covid. Biden noted in the interview that they were still working on it. The swine flu is over. "If you notice, no one is wearing masks," he said, referring to the crowd at the auto show in Detroit. Everyone seems to be in great shape. This is a perfect example of how it is changing.

The president's comments reflect the country's relationship with the Pandemic, which is a resounding: "It's complicated."

Not over

We're still in a Pandemic. There is cause for optimism, as cases are on the decline, deaths and hospitalizations are down, and vaccines are available in the US. Over 61,000 new cases are reported every day. The cases that are reported are just the beginning. The true number of cases is likely to be several multiples of that figure because most people rely on home-based testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the transmission rates are high in 94 percent of US counties.

31,000 Americans are hospitalized each day despite the fact that the rates of hospitalization and death are lower. The average number of deaths per day is 464. The distinction between COVID-19 and COVID-19 may not be as important as some people think, given that COVID-19 has always been most dangerous to those with underlying health conditions. Anthony Fauci is a top infectious disease expert.

He asked, "What's the difference with someone who has mild heart failure, goes to the hospital, and dies from heart failure?" Is that due to COVID or something else? It was definitely due toVID.

“The worst time to stop”

It's still a massive disease burden despite the current plateau of around 400 deaths per day. 146,000 deaths would be annualized if we continued to see a 400 per day rate. Alzheimer's disease is expected to kill 134,000 people in 2020 in the US, making it the fifth leading cause of death. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020 and killed 350,000 people. Even in the worst flu season in recent years, the number of flu deaths topped out at over 50,000. The flu isn't associated with long term disease.

This is only what is happening in the US with the Pandemic. The trends in the US are similar to those seen in other parts of the world. The global death toll is over 1,600 a day.

The director-general of the World Health Organization said in a press conference last week that the global health emergency is not over.

We are in a better place to end the epidemic. The end is in sight, but we are not there yet. When the finish line comes into view, a marathon runner runs on. With all the energy she has left, she is running harder. We need to stop running now. We need to make sure we cross the line and get the rewards of our hard work.