Dr. Anthony Fauci Says U.S. Is Out Of ‘Pandemic Phase’ Of Covid-19

Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the Covid-19 pandemic has “decelerated and transitioned into a more controlled phase,” compared to surging case numbers last winter.

He told PBS Newshour on Tuesday that the U.S. is “out of the pandemic phase,” but sought to clarify that those comments don’t mean it’s fully over when talking to The Associated Press Wednesday. “We don’t have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths,” he said. “We are at a low level right now. So if you’re saying, are we out of the pandemic phase in this country? Yes, we are.”

It’s likely that the coronavirus will never be fully eradicated at this point, and Fauci was still careful to point out that just because we’re away from surging hospitalizations at the moment, the virus is still raging in many parts of the world. “There’s a lot of viral dynamics throughout the world and we still may get another variant which could lead to another surge,” Fauci said.

Fauci has been more optimistic than usual this year, which probably makes sense given that he was at the front of the worst parts of the pandemic. In February, Fauci said he believed the virus was reaching an “equilibrium” and that he hoped to be able to lift pandemic restrictions “soon.” It’s still important to note that Fauci isn’t saying we should all immediately be gathering in as cramped spaces as possible.

Cases are on the rise currently, even if they are dwarfed by all-time infection and hospitalization rates. There are still more than 400 Covid-19 deaths a day, and Fauci advised people to “continue to be vigilant, to follow the CDC guidelines, to do the kinds of things that protect you: Get vaccinated, if you’re not vaccinated; get boosted if you’re eligible for a boost. If you do get infected, be aware that there is availability of antivirals.”