Fauci: ‘Pandemic phase’ over for US, but COVID-19 still here

UNDATED (AP)- Dr. Anthony Fauci has given an upbeat assessment of the state of the coronavirus in the U.S., saying the country is “out of the pandemic phase” on new infections, hospitalizations and deaths. But the top infectious disease expert says it appears to be making a transition to becoming an endemic disease — occurring regularly in certain areas. He told the PBS “NewsHour” Tuesday (April 26, 2022) it’s still a pandemic for much of the world, but the threat is not over for the U.S. In comments Wednesday to The Washington Post, Fauci seemed to clarify his remarks, saying that unlike the “full-blown explosive pandemic phase” of the winter omicron surge, he was describing an apparent transition toward COVID-19 becoming an endemic disease.