President Joe Biden caused a stir in a “60 Minutes” interview on Sept. 18 when he declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
“We still have a problem with COVID — we’re still doing a lot of work on it,” Biden said. “But the pandemic is over.”
Critics countered that the U.S. is still averaging about 400 deaths daily from the virus, that nearly 30,000 Americans remain hospitalized, and that many others are suffering from “long COVID” symptoms stemming from previous infections.
Two days later, Biden acknowledged that despite the negative reactions by some, the pandemic “basically is not where it was.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the coronavirus “a lot more manageable.” Past experience means “we know what works,” she said.
PolitiFact has been tracking a campaign promise Biden made in 2020 that is closely related, but distinct, from what Biden told “60 Minutes.” During the presidential campaign, Biden said, “I’m never going to raise the white flag and surrender. We’re going to beat this virus. We’re going to get it under control, I promise you.“
Biden is on safer linguistic ground with his promise to get COVID “under control” than saying “the pandemic is over.”
Biden may not have used the most appropriate word when he described the pandemic as “over,” but the long-term statistical trends have been trending in the right direction, and the vaccines and treatments should dampen the severity of future waves. For these reasons, experts say it’s fair to declare that the pandemic is “under control.” If circumstances change, we will reassess our rating, but for now, this receives a Promise Kept.
This story was published by Kaiser Health News on September 26, 2022. It is republished with permission.
