President Biden attempted to clarify his remarks to "60 Minutes" saying the COVID-19 pandemic "is over," telling a group of Democrats on Tuesday that he was merely suggesting the virus spread is not as bad as it was.
At a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City, Biden, while speaking about efforts on the pandemic, referenced the comments he made to "60 Minutes," acknowledging he was criticized for the remarks, but "it basically is not where it was," and urged the audience to get booster shots if they have not already.
Biden had told "60 Minutes" last week "the pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. It's — but the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it."
However, the public health emergency will not be lifted, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
"The COVID Public Health Emergency remains in effect and HHS will provide a 60-day notice to states before any possible termination or expiration. As we've done previously, we'll continue to lean on the science to determine the length of the PHE," tweeted Sarah Lovenheim, spokeswoman for HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.