Fallout continues over Biden's 'pandemic is over' commentsAt a routine press briefing today, two White House officials fielded questions about President Joe Biden's recent off-the-cuff comment during a news program that the pandemic is over, while acknowledging that COVID is still a problem.When a reporter asked if Biden would carry the "pandemic is over" message to the world stage in his address tomorrow at the United Nations General Assembly, Jake Sullivan, Biden's National Security Advisor, said Biden will tell world leaders that the core goal is to be better prepared for the next pandemic, such as finalizing a funding facility at the World Bank, improving vaccine manufacturing capability across a wider range of regions, and needing to learn lessons from COVID-19 to avoid repeating mistakes.Journalists also asked Biden's press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, about the president's comments and a letter from Sen.
Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee that juxtaposes the comments with the need to extend the health emergency and add more funding.
She said Biden was clear in the interview that COVID remains a problem."What he believes is we can acknowledge the massive amount of progress that we have made," she said. "Now we are in a place where it is much more manageable."Jean-Pierre also pressed Congress to approve funding to better prepare the nation to respond for future threats from COVID and other epidemics.Sep 20 White House press briefing Sep 19 Burr letter obtained by CNN Sep 19 CIDRAP News storyHelmet-style oxygenation didn't lower death rate in severe COVID-19Noninvasive ventilation delivered through an oxygen helmet didn't