Dr. Fauci Says the Country is 'Out of the Pandemic Phase'

Dr. Anthony Fauci told PBS’s Judy Woodworth that the U.S. was now out of the pandemic phase of the coronavirus but that the threat continues for many nations around the world.

“We are certainly right now in this country out of the pandemic phase,” Fauci said in an interview with PBS Newshour. “Namely, we don’t have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are at a low level right now.”

“So, if you’re saying, are we out of the pandemic phase in this country, we are.”

We’ve been at a “low level” for months as the number of positive tests has dropped off the table. But Fauci, ever the public health nimrod, only reluctantly acknowledges the facts when they become too obvious to deny.

NPR:

“I am virtually certain that we are undercounting the number of infections” in the U.S. because many people are experiencing only mild or no symptoms, Fauci said.

Part of that dynamic is that people aren’t getting tested as frequently now — and Fauci said if they test positive without showing serious symptoms, they might not report it to local health agencies.

Despite a recent rise of COVID-19 cases, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Fauci reiterated that hospitalization rates are only rising slowly, unlike during the surge driven by delta variant.And CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday that U.S. coronavirus deaths have fallen to a seven-day average of about 300 per day.

The important numbers — deaths and people in the ICUs — are also bottoming out and have been since the middle of March. Yesterday in Illinois, there were less than 2,500 positive tests and less than 1,500 who are in an ICU and tested positive.

“Pandemic means a widespread, throughout the world, infection that spreads rapidly among people,” Fauci said. “So, if you look at the global situation, there’s no doubt this pandemic is still ongoing.”

The infectious disease expert said it’s “an unanswerable question” to ask when the global pandemic will end.

“We’re not going to eradicate this virus,” Fauci said as he looked to the future and COVID-19’s global reach.

The best hope is to maintain the coronavirus at low levels of transmission and pursue intermittent vaccinations, Fauci said.

Eventually, there will be a “one and done” vaccine for those who want it, and we’ll hear no more about mandates and restrictions. Hopefully, Dr. Fauci won’t be around to try and force us to get jabbed.