Dr. Anthony Fauci is back His comment that the United States is no longer in the “epidemic phase” COVID-19 – The latest mixed message from President Biden’s chief medical advisor on the coronavirus.

Biden and Fauci administration officials were scrambling Wednesday to stress that the country is still in the midst of a pandemic and that emergency measures are still required after Fauci told PBS the exact opposite.

“We’re here. It’s the end of April. It’s spring 2022. How close are we to the end of the pandemic?” PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff asked Fauci Tuesday.

“We are certainly, right now, in this country outside the pandemic phase,” Fauci replied. Namely, we don’t have 900,000 new infections per day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are at a low level now.

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

A day later, after his comments made headlines around the world, Fauci was singing a different tune. “We are in a different moment in the pandemic,” Fauci told The Associated Press Wednesday. He added that the United States had “slowed down and moved to a more controlled phase” after the winter wave.

“In no way does that mean the epidemic is over,” Fauci said in his 180-degree turn.

he is For The Washington Post Wednesday: “The world is still in a pandemic. There is no doubt about it. Nobody is misinterpreting it.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki asked a question during her daily press conference about why emergency measures would still be needed if the “epidemic phase” was over.

“Well, what Dr. Fauci said is that we are in a different stage of this epidemic, and that is absolutely true,” Psaki said, adding that the level of hospitalization and deaths have decreased.

“We also know that COVID is not over and the epidemic is not over,” she said.

Psaki said people are still getting sick from COVID and “we have measures that we must all continue to take to protect ourselves.”

This isn’t the first time a consultant has made an ad or a suggestion only to back out after hours.

Late last year, he suggested that a booster dose would be needed for someone to “be fully vaccinated,” then mentioned the extra dose days later. won’t be necessary to get to that point.

He also appeared to defend a vaccine requirement on domestic flights, but then said people shouldn’t expect a federal mandate requiring passengers to appeal.

Fauci, 81, decided to skip White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday due to concerns about the Corona virus. The decision, first reported by CNN, came even though President Biden himself plans to attend.

Fauci had attended the Gridiron Club dinner on April 2, where a few guests were masked. Dozens of attendees later tested positive for the virus.

Earlier this month, Fauci signaled his support for American individuals who are assessing their own medical risks when it comes to COVID-19.

“This will not be eradicated, it will not be eradicated,” he said For ABC’s “This Week”. “And what will happen is we will see that everyone will have to make their own calculations of how much risk they want to take.”

Fauci’s hopeful speech was in stark contrast to the dire warnings he issued at the start of the pandemic, urging Americans to follow social distancing and concealment guidelines.

However, the country’s leading infectious disease expert continues to criticize recently Florida federal judge’s decision To cancel the Biden administration’s extension of a policy requiring masks on public transportation.

“The CDC has the ability, through a large number of trained epidemiologists, to be able to make forecasts and make recommendations,” He told CBS News. “Much more than a judge with no public health experience.”

Fauci’s comments come as the United States faces the trials of a Slight increase in positive COVID-19 cases Infection caused by virus II BA.2. In Washington, dozens of lawmakers, journalists and administrative officials have tested positive this month after attending numerous dinners and events.

Earlier this month, though, Fauci said the variant “does not appear to be associated with increased hospitalizations and acute illness.”

with wire