Washington, United States of America (CNN) — US President Joe Biden said he believed the Corona pandemic was “over”, but acknowledged that the United States still had a “problem” with the virus that has killed more than a million Americans.
“The pandemic is over,” Biden said, during an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, adding: “We still have a problem with Covid. We’re still doing a lot of work. But the pandemic is over.”
The US government still classifies Covid-19 as a public health emergency, and the World Health Organization says it remains a public health emergency of international concern. But the US president’s comments come on the heels of other hopeful comments from global health leaders.
Last week, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the end of the Corona pandemic was “imminent”, and that the world had never been in a better position to end the pandemic.
“Last week, the number of weekly deaths from corona was the lowest since March 2020,” Ghebreyesus said, adding: “We were never in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in sight.”
And last August, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its Covid-19 guidance such as quarantine and social distancing measures, but confirmed that some people, including the elderly, those with weakened immunity, and those with certain disabilities. Or health conditions, they are more likely to develop serious symptoms as a result of the Corona virus, and may need to take extra precautions.
