Earlier this week, Pres. Biden said that the pandemic is over though “we still have a problem with COVID.” The measure for saying that in this short clip is that nobody is wearing masks and everybody seems to be in “pretty good shape,” therefore…
What would you say to someone who quotes Pres. Biden back to you? Is this a nuanced statement that I’m taking too literally (I always have to leave that on the table as a possibility). We were warned that the end would not be something definitive, and that we’d argue over whether it’s really over. What do you think?
Obviously the virus is not eradicated. Neither is the flu virus(es) or the polio virus, or a host of other viruses that plague humanity. But we're doing everything we can to keep the hospitalization rate and death rate down, and we're nowhere near where we were 2 years ago when we didn't have vaccines or home rapid tests. I'm not a health professional at all, but the way I would put it is we've reached a leveling off of sorts. Covid is going to be around for a long time, continually mutating, like the flu. The best we can do is minimize hospitalizations and deaths with vaccines, facemasks, improved indoor ventilation, etc.
N.B.: My 95yo mother in Texas just recovered from a bout of Covid. Thanks to good genes and healthy eating, she only displayed symptoms of seasonal allergies. We wouldn't have known except her home-care worker came down with it and had to stay out for a week.
In January, 2021 when the first Covid vaccine rolled out, I was not old enough to be first in line. But I soon learned that if I stood out at the end of the shift and the clinic had extra doses, one could get it. I spent three days waiting and on the third day. I was in. On the second day, an older woman was in front of me taking the last dose. She told me she was nervous. I pulled out a $20 bill and told her I would buy it from her. Nope she wasn’t that nervous.
How did you find out? My previous doctor, a private doc I paid monthly for her services was a denier. In February 2020, she gave me Delta after attending a conference in Washington state. She too was/is anti-vax. Then in May last year when I was in Florida, armed with both original vaccine and the booster, omnicrom proceeded to wreck my lungs. During all this, I had to have two surgical procedures and signed waiver after waiver that if I died of Covid…….
When I received the news that Covid is “over,” I smirked some then finished washing the dishes. I honestly don’t want to be forever lamenting my Covid experiences; I hope we learn to live with it, as some say we must.
I recently had a consult with him. And we discussed a variety of issues. I used him in the 1990s. He is a heart specialist or so he says. He did save my life in the 1990s so I’m appreciative of that. I always knew him to be different-minded and that’s OK. But I was stunned when he revealed this aspect about himself. And he critiqued Dr. Fouchi (mispelled). He is clearly wrong. And I found out by asking him for the new booster.
I know! The last couple of years were rough, and I have a fabulous PT/OT team lighting a fire under my tuchus. This emotional roller coaster let me know to stop and let cognition happen for a bit. I’m locked and loaded to live a full life and stop feeling sorry for myself. Yet, I’ve learned compassion for myself and hence others? Once we let go of trying to outdo ourselves everyday, and open ourselves up relationally satisfying connections, eh, I think we’ll be fine! Um, frustrated, yes, and simply human! Ugh, corny, man!
I’m pro everything. They can shoot me up with any vaccines they want. If I run out of one arm, I have another arm and two legs. Just shoot me up with vaccines. How dare anyone speak of the lack of importance taking vaccines.
Same here. I was in grade school in Dallas TX when the oral polio vaccine was distributed to the entire city (90% of it) within a span of two summer weekends. "Many people say" we don't know the long term effects of this new-fangled mRNA vaccine, but we sure as heck know the short & long term effects of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, don't we?
My cousin in TX is dealing with that right now. Unknown if the doctor has received any vaccination at all, but he's been in the hospital and received monoclonal antibody treatment. He's been seeing this Dr for many years and is reluctant to drop him.
Personally I do not need to quote any president, current or former , I would rather read statistics and hear credible medical professionals. We need to realize Covid remains one of the top fatal illnesses in the US. We will be dealing with it for the foreseeable future . Making it a religious or political statement will not help , or change anything .
I thought that was irresponsible of Biden to make that statement. Maybe he wants credit for "ending it"? We are absolutely better off than we were two years ago. Why not highlight the progress AND the tools we have to protect us from serious illness (incl the new booster)? In any case, this is the usual calm period before the surge period. We don't know what the winter months will bring and we don't know what the next variant will be like. The BEST reason I heard to get the new vaccine if you are not in the high risk category (which is reason alone) is that it is likely to provide protection from the next variant. Odds are high (admittedly not 100%), the next variant will come from Omicron since it's so prevalent. If that's the case, the new booster will most likely provide some protection.
In addition, COVID will likely be among the top 10 leading causes of death in the US for awhile according to this:
It's not going away. While we can be more free than we were, it seems wise to pay attention to surges, get vaccinated, use masks at times during surges...in other words, don't act like it doesn't exist.
I really want the president to be right on this thing. I am vaccinated to the nth degree, and I intend to keep up with those shots for as long as necessary.
I do, too. Though I feel like a lot of people have stopped listening to anything science based related to COVID and behave the way they want to behave. The world has moved on for most people and yet COVID will stop some of them. Still, we're averaging about 500 COVID deaths a day in the US. However, there are about 2500+ Cardiovascular deaths per day in the US for comparison. (the leading cause of death)
My great uncle died from the 1918 flu pandemic. My grandpa used to talk about them playing one day and then burying him just days later. His brother was a little boy and it took him that quick. My grandpa became a doctor and was the one who insisted we all got annual flu shots. We have followed that advice ever since he gave us our first shots!
I would have preferred Biden had said something like “we’re on the cusp of moving from a pandemic to dealing with an endemic disease”. While I think the headline is too cut and dried, I found this Lena Wen WAPO article helpful.
For now, we aren’t changing the precautions we take and probably will never totally back off them. I can imagine wearing masks at events like basketball games and concerts forever. We’ve known too many people who’ve gotten sick soon after they went back to “normal” behavior. People are slow to get the bivalent booster. Hopefully that picks up as we get closer to the holidays.
Sharon Foster you are right. Covid is still around as is the flu, common colds and more recently polio.
My understanding of what Pres. Biden said is that the pandemic stage of Covid has ended. We are no longer experiencing a worldwide spread of Covid. Worldwide spread or having spread to at leadt 3 countries is how the World Health Organization defines pandemic. A pandemic is the level above an endemic. As Sharon Foster said this disease will probably remain with us forever. But we have the tools vaccines and medications to manage it if we are infected. And we have the knowledge to know how to reduce the
risk of getting infected.
Short answer pandemic is panic and usually without enough knowledge and tools to prevent continuing spread. Thank God we are past panic. Now we need to hope everyone employs common sense based on our newly gained knowledge and experience.
I understand what Biden was trying to say but was a bit taken aback by it. I too have had four shots yet I still had breakthrough Covid in May after having them. I always mask in stores and have avoided being around strangers. It’s hard, I get that.
It is not over they are currently 400 people in the hospital with it and over 11300 have died. I put this question to my rep recently, where is the governor on this? The current positive rate is at over 9%. It is far from over and no one is talking about it.
What more is there for the state or federal government to do? We have vaccines, we have home rapid tests, we have facemasks, we have new indoor ventilation, we have outdoor eating while the weather allows. Work must go on, education must go on. People won't tolerate any more shutdowns or lockdowns. What more can be done?
It needs to be talked about and let people know what is happening. There is a new booster, who is going to promote that people should get it? I read yesterday that schools are seeing 4x the number of cases already. Not everywhere has new ventilation and that only helps a small piece of the puzzle. Where is the promotion of wearing a mask? Helping to prevent the spread? Everything is going on just don't pretend everything is ok when it is not and an election year. I worked the entire time by the way. I am lucky there are only a couple of us in the office my 2 bosses both had it, one was on oxygen for a few months and then needed to get his appendix out due to long covid. He was unvaccinated.
I still wear a mask -- two, in fact -- indoors in retail establishments, supermarkets, etc. Not to restaurants, though, unless I'm just getting takeout. I will probably keep doing that indefinitely, and I will take whatever vaccine is offered. If it becomes a once or twice a year thing, along with the flu shot, that's fine by me. Whether other people do doesn't concern me anymore. They know there are vaccines, they know there are facemasks and home tests. If they choose not to avail themselves of all the help, that's their problem now. As long as they don't fill the hospitals and ICUs to overflowing as they did 2 years ago. I know I sound cynical and unfeeling, but I have no more f**ks left to give those people. I mean, look at the reception the news of the 5th dose got. It started the rumors all over again. "We're going to be zombies when the 5G network is activated." I am not making that up. A "doctor and activist" said that.
It was not a helpful comment. Reminded me of Trump's constant bloviating that it would all just miraculously go away. I understand that Presidents concerned about coming elections want to paint rosy pictures but this was at best a mistake and at worst an unethical bit of propaganda.
For those of us who are in severe risk groups and/or must protect relatives who are at critical risk (and would not survive even the mildest case of COVID), the pandemic is certainly not over - nor is our isolation. We're easy to ignore: we have to stay home except for medical appointments. Even outdoor events, where the risk might be a bit lower, are off the table since others will not wear a mask. Even the slightest inconvenience is too much to ask so that we could occasionally not isolate, not be invisible. At the current rate of 400 - 500 hundred COVID deaths each day in the United States, ~150,000 people in the US will die in the next year from the virus, far more fatalities than the flu causes. But hey, as we are told, every day in so many ways, that's our problem.
I seem to recall that the Spanish flu was supposed to be gone...until the far more fatal wave hit two years after the all clear was assumed. Meanwhile I have yet another condolence note to write.
I wear a mask at the supermarket. In fact, I still double-mask in any retail establishment. I am going out to eat at sit-down restaurants again, and have for a while. I'll sit outside if possible, but I have no problem sitting inside unless it's very very crowded.
I just got the new booster a couple of days ago, plus a flu shot. I'm going on an overnight trip in a couple of weeks and will be in a van with 8 or 9 other people for several hours.
Obviously the virus is not eradicated. Neither is the flu virus(es) or the polio virus, or a host of other viruses that plague humanity. But we're doing everything we can to keep the hospitalization rate and death rate down, and we're nowhere near where we were 2 years ago when we didn't have vaccines or home rapid tests. I'm not a health professional at all, but the way I would put it is we've reached a leveling off of sorts. Covid is going to be around for a long time, continually mutating, like the flu. The best we can do is minimize hospitalizations and deaths with vaccines, facemasks, improved indoor ventilation, etc.
N.B.: My 95yo mother in Texas just recovered from a bout of Covid. Thanks to good genes and healthy eating, she only displayed symptoms of seasonal allergies. We wouldn't have known except her home-care worker came down with it and had to stay out for a week.
This is a measured approach to this and I appreciate it. And I also appreciate your mother’s experience with it wasn’t awful.
Forgot to mention, thanks also to initial vaccines plus two boosters!
In January, 2021 when the first Covid vaccine rolled out, I was not old enough to be first in line. But I soon learned that if I stood out at the end of the shift and the clinic had extra doses, one could get it. I spent three days waiting and on the third day. I was in. On the second day, an older woman was in front of me taking the last dose. She told me she was nervous. I pulled out a $20 bill and told her I would buy it from her. Nope she wasn’t that nervous.
Ding dong the witch is dead
Which oh witch, the witch is dead
Ding dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepy head
Rub your eyes get out of bed
Ding dong the wicked witch is dead
And I just found out that my soon-to-be ex doctor is an anti vaxxer.
My word. That? I do not get.
How did you find out? My previous doctor, a private doc I paid monthly for her services was a denier. In February 2020, she gave me Delta after attending a conference in Washington state. She too was/is anti-vax. Then in May last year when I was in Florida, armed with both original vaccine and the booster, omnicrom proceeded to wreck my lungs. During all this, I had to have two surgical procedures and signed waiver after waiver that if I died of Covid…….
When I received the news that Covid is “over,” I smirked some then finished washing the dishes. I honestly don’t want to be forever lamenting my Covid experiences; I hope we learn to live with it, as some say we must.
I recently had a consult with him. And we discussed a variety of issues. I used him in the 1990s. He is a heart specialist or so he says. He did save my life in the 1990s so I’m appreciative of that. I always knew him to be different-minded and that’s OK. But I was stunned when he revealed this aspect about himself. And he critiqued Dr. Fouchi (mispelled). He is clearly wrong. And I found out by asking him for the new booster.
What a sad discovery...
I know! The last couple of years were rough, and I have a fabulous PT/OT team lighting a fire under my tuchus. This emotional roller coaster let me know to stop and let cognition happen for a bit. I’m locked and loaded to live a full life and stop feeling sorry for myself. Yet, I’ve learned compassion for myself and hence others? Once we let go of trying to outdo ourselves everyday, and open ourselves up relationally satisfying connections, eh, I think we’ll be fine! Um, frustrated, yes, and simply human! Ugh, corny, man!
That’s a fabulous thing. I don’t even know what I learned. It may not be compassion.
I’m pro everything. They can shoot me up with any vaccines they want. If I run out of one arm, I have another arm and two legs. Just shoot me up with vaccines. How dare anyone speak of the lack of importance taking vaccines.
Same here. I was in grade school in Dallas TX when the oral polio vaccine was distributed to the entire city (90% of it) within a span of two summer weekends. "Many people say" we don't know the long term effects of this new-fangled mRNA vaccine, but we sure as heck know the short & long term effects of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, don't we?
My cousin in TX is dealing with that right now. Unknown if the doctor has received any vaccination at all, but he's been in the hospital and received monoclonal antibody treatment. He's been seeing this Dr for many years and is reluctant to drop him.
Personally I do not need to quote any president, current or former , I would rather read statistics and hear credible medical professionals. We need to realize Covid remains one of the top fatal illnesses in the US. We will be dealing with it for the foreseeable future . Making it a religious or political statement will not help , or change anything .
It's not over according to the WHO. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-09-22/who-says-covid-19-pandemic-isnt-over-after-bidens-controversial-remarks
I thought that was irresponsible of Biden to make that statement. Maybe he wants credit for "ending it"? We are absolutely better off than we were two years ago. Why not highlight the progress AND the tools we have to protect us from serious illness (incl the new booster)? In any case, this is the usual calm period before the surge period. We don't know what the winter months will bring and we don't know what the next variant will be like. The BEST reason I heard to get the new vaccine if you are not in the high risk category (which is reason alone) is that it is likely to provide protection from the next variant. Odds are high (admittedly not 100%), the next variant will come from Omicron since it's so prevalent. If that's the case, the new booster will most likely provide some protection.
In addition, COVID will likely be among the top 10 leading causes of death in the US for awhile according to this:
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-will-leading-cause-death-indefinitely-us-rcna48374
It's not going away. While we can be more free than we were, it seems wise to pay attention to surges, get vaccinated, use masks at times during surges...in other words, don't act like it doesn't exist.
I really want the president to be right on this thing. I am vaccinated to the nth degree, and I intend to keep up with those shots for as long as necessary.
I do, too. Though I feel like a lot of people have stopped listening to anything science based related to COVID and behave the way they want to behave. The world has moved on for most people and yet COVID will stop some of them. Still, we're averaging about 500 COVID deaths a day in the US. However, there are about 2500+ Cardiovascular deaths per day in the US for comparison. (the leading cause of death)
This discussion is where I heard the "BEST reason" to get the new booster (though I may fall in the higher risk group):
https://www.methodsman.com/blog/omicron-specific-booster-what-to-do?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=632b50e1dcf8486ac0c074bb&ss_email_id=632b5137d524557ebb9c45ee&ss_campaign_name=To+%28Bivalent%29+Boost+or+Not+to+Boost&ss_campaign_sent_date=2022-09-21T18%3A01%3A41Z
Oh, thank you for this.
My great uncle died from the 1918 flu pandemic. My grandpa used to talk about them playing one day and then burying him just days later. His brother was a little boy and it took him that quick. My grandpa became a doctor and was the one who insisted we all got annual flu shots. We have followed that advice ever since he gave us our first shots!
I would have preferred Biden had said something like “we’re on the cusp of moving from a pandemic to dealing with an endemic disease”. While I think the headline is too cut and dried, I found this Lena Wen WAPO article helpful.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/09/19/biden-covid-pandemic-over/
For now, we aren’t changing the precautions we take and probably will never totally back off them. I can imagine wearing masks at events like basketball games and concerts forever. We’ve known too many people who’ve gotten sick soon after they went back to “normal” behavior. People are slow to get the bivalent booster. Hopefully that picks up as we get closer to the holidays.
Same here. A little more measured speech for the folks in the past. But oh well.
The pandemic is dead!
Long live the endemic!
*see Spanish Flu vs ongoing flu
Hadn't thought about it that way. Just got my flu shot and I am raring to go!
Sharon Foster you are right. Covid is still around as is the flu, common colds and more recently polio.
My understanding of what Pres. Biden said is that the pandemic stage of Covid has ended. We are no longer experiencing a worldwide spread of Covid. Worldwide spread or having spread to at leadt 3 countries is how the World Health Organization defines pandemic. A pandemic is the level above an endemic. As Sharon Foster said this disease will probably remain with us forever. But we have the tools vaccines and medications to manage it if we are infected. And we have the knowledge to know how to reduce the
risk of getting infected.
Short answer pandemic is panic and usually without enough knowledge and tools to prevent continuing spread. Thank God we are past panic. Now we need to hope everyone employs common sense based on our newly gained knowledge and experience.
Also good points. A part of me feels like I’ve gotten so accustomed to living in pandemic/panic mode, that getting out of it is a process.
I agree. You put words to why I have to constantly remind myself that it’s OK to go ….. well just go.
Indeed
I understand what Biden was trying to say but was a bit taken aback by it. I too have had four shots yet I still had breakthrough Covid in May after having them. I always mask in stores and have avoided being around strangers. It’s hard, I get that.
I’ve had five and am in line for my flu shot now. I like most people I meet and want to protect them. And me.
It is not over they are currently 400 people in the hospital with it and over 11300 have died. I put this question to my rep recently, where is the governor on this? The current positive rate is at over 9%. It is far from over and no one is talking about it.
What more is there for the state or federal government to do? We have vaccines, we have home rapid tests, we have facemasks, we have new indoor ventilation, we have outdoor eating while the weather allows. Work must go on, education must go on. People won't tolerate any more shutdowns or lockdowns. What more can be done?
It needs to be talked about and let people know what is happening. There is a new booster, who is going to promote that people should get it? I read yesterday that schools are seeing 4x the number of cases already. Not everywhere has new ventilation and that only helps a small piece of the puzzle. Where is the promotion of wearing a mask? Helping to prevent the spread? Everything is going on just don't pretend everything is ok when it is not and an election year. I worked the entire time by the way. I am lucky there are only a couple of us in the office my 2 bosses both had it, one was on oxygen for a few months and then needed to get his appendix out due to long covid. He was unvaccinated.
I still wear a mask -- two, in fact -- indoors in retail establishments, supermarkets, etc. Not to restaurants, though, unless I'm just getting takeout. I will probably keep doing that indefinitely, and I will take whatever vaccine is offered. If it becomes a once or twice a year thing, along with the flu shot, that's fine by me. Whether other people do doesn't concern me anymore. They know there are vaccines, they know there are facemasks and home tests. If they choose not to avail themselves of all the help, that's their problem now. As long as they don't fill the hospitals and ICUs to overflowing as they did 2 years ago. I know I sound cynical and unfeeling, but I have no more f**ks left to give those people. I mean, look at the reception the news of the 5th dose got. It started the rumors all over again. "We're going to be zombies when the 5G network is activated." I am not making that up. A "doctor and activist" said that.
It was not a helpful comment. Reminded me of Trump's constant bloviating that it would all just miraculously go away. I understand that Presidents concerned about coming elections want to paint rosy pictures but this was at best a mistake and at worst an unethical bit of propaganda.
I was disappointed, but figured of course there will never be an elected official with whom I agree completely.
Unless I become POTUS. You know, when dragons roam the earth and ice cream cones rain down from the sky.
Cannot WAIT!
For those of us who are in severe risk groups and/or must protect relatives who are at critical risk (and would not survive even the mildest case of COVID), the pandemic is certainly not over - nor is our isolation. We're easy to ignore: we have to stay home except for medical appointments. Even outdoor events, where the risk might be a bit lower, are off the table since others will not wear a mask. Even the slightest inconvenience is too much to ask so that we could occasionally not isolate, not be invisible. At the current rate of 400 - 500 hundred COVID deaths each day in the United States, ~150,000 people in the US will die in the next year from the virus, far more fatalities than the flu causes. But hey, as we are told, every day in so many ways, that's our problem.
I seem to recall that the Spanish flu was supposed to be gone...until the far more fatal wave hit two years after the all clear was assumed. Meanwhile I have yet another condolence note to write.
Was it political? He needed to appease the deniers?
No, I don't think he was trying to appease anyone. As you said, the full quote is "we still have a problem with Covid."
Yeah. That was cynical of me.
I wear a mask at the supermarket. In fact, I still double-mask in any retail establishment. I am going out to eat at sit-down restaurants again, and have for a while. I'll sit outside if possible, but I have no problem sitting inside unless it's very very crowded.
I will sayI circulate far more than even six months ago. And I will continue with boosters as long as they are available.
I just got the new booster a couple of days ago, plus a flu shot. I'm going on an overnight trip in a couple of weeks and will be in a van with 8 or 9 other people for several hours.
I’m off this morning to get the flu shot. Onward! And have a wonderful trip.