CDC Director Rochelle Walensky REFUSES to agree with Biden’s claim that the COVID pandemic is over

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has clashed with President Joe Biden’s assertion that the coronavirus pandemic is over, preferring instead to say ‘we are in a different place. “.

Speaking to ABC News, Walensky declined to agree with Biden’s statement that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, but she acknowledged how hospitalization and case rates were falling thanks to the large availability of vaccines.

Biden made the remarks during his appearance on CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday.

“The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still working on it a lot, but the pandemic is over. If you notice, nobody’s wearing a mask. Everyone seems to be in pretty good shape and so I think that changes. And I think this is a perfect example of that,’ Biden said as he strolled through the Detroit Auto Show last week — an event that drew thousands of visitors.

Biden claimed the pandemic was finally over during an interview with CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday

The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has fallen dramatically since Biden’s start in office, when more than 3,000 Americans a day were dying as improved care, medications and vaccinations became more widely available, but nearly 400 people a day continue to die from COVID. -19 in the United States, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Director Walensky was careful to choose her words during the interview: “I think if we look at the bigger picture, things are very different. We are in a different place. Schools are open and businesses are open. We have a lot of population immunity right now.

However, she noted that with hundreds of Americans still dying from the virus, the death rate was still too high.

The CDC continued to monitor the emergence of any new variants of concern.

Biden declared the pandemic over as he strolled through the Detroit Auto Show last week – an event that drew thousands of visitors

CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, pictured, was filmed getting her COVID shot

“We will be ready to intervene,” she said.

‘We have seen time and time again is [that] our vaccines work quite well against serious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths, even when variants emerge, which is why it’s so important to go ahead and get your updated vaccine now,” said encouraged Walensky.

The scientists point to emerging research that suggests the latest omicron variant is gaining traction in the US – BA.4.6 appears to be even better at evading the immune system than the dominant BA.5.

Omicron has been around since late last year, with a series of super-transmitting builds moving fast past each other.

Experts say COVID will continue to cause serious illness in some people.

The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Center made pandemic projections spanning August 2022 to May 2023, assuming that new modified boosters adding protection for new omicron parents would be available and a campaign of recall would take place in the fall and winter. In the most pessimistic scenario – a new variant and late recalls – they predicted 1.3 million hospitalizations and 181,000 deaths during this period.

In the most optimistic scenario – no new variant and early recalls – they projected just over half the number of hospitalizations and 111,000 deaths.

US health officials say 4.4 million Americans have rolled up their sleeves for the COVID-19 reminder update.

Booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are displayed at a vaccination clinic in Vermont earlier this week. Public health experts have lamented President Joe Biden’s recent remark that ‘the pandemic is over’

Health experts said it was too early to predict whether demand would match the 171 million doses of the new boosters ordered by the United States for the fall.

Walsnsky also suggested that people get the flu shot for fear of a severe flu season.

She thinks up to 100,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths could be averted if Americans received the updated COVID reminder at the same rate they typically receive an annual flu shot this fall.

“We know that over the past few years some people have not chosen to get the flu shot. We’ve had a decrease in flu rates over the past few years and likely due to many of the mitigation strategies we’ve put in place for COVID. When this happens, we have a decrease in population immunity levels, raising fears that next year you will have a higher and greater flu challenge. We can’t predict what an influenza season will look like, but we have concerns.