Biden Says COVID-19 Pandemic ‘Is Over’

President Joe Biden said in a new interview that the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, stoking criticism from some critics over his administration’s continued use of emergency policies.

“The pandemic is over,” Biden told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired on Sept. 18.

“We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape,” the Democrat added.

Biden was speaking at the Detroit Auto Show, the first time the event was held since the pandemic started.

The World Health Organization, part of the United Nations, declares pandemics. The agency has not said the pandemic is over.

COVID-19 metrics, though, have plunged across the world since peaking in late 2021 and early 2022. Additionally, the newer variants of the COVID-19 virus have proven less virulent than earlier strains, though vaccines and prior infection don’t protect as well against them.