Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci says the COVID-19 pandemic is "still ongoing" and is warning people against getting complacent.
In an interview with PBS earlier this week, Dr Fauci explained while the US was out of the "pandemic phase", it wasn't the same situation for countries outside of the United States.
"Pandemic means a widespread, throughout the world, infection that spreads rapidly among people," he said when asked how long it could be until the pandemic ends.
"So, if you look at the global situation, there's no doubt this pandemic is still ongoing."
In a later interview with The Washington Post, Dr Fauci said that while the US was in a "transitional phase", he added: "The world is still in a pandemic. There's no doubt about that.
"Don't anybody get any misinterpretation of that," Dr Fauci told The Post. "We are still experiencing a pandemic."
He said people can't let their guards down and noted it would be very difficult for the US population to reach classical herd immunity against this virus due to several factors.
It is unlikely the US will ever eliminate COVID-19, he said, but the United States should strive to control the virus.
"When I said we are no longer in that fulminant acute phase, that does not mean that the pandemic is over," Dr Fauci later reiterated at a virtual event hosted by the National Press Club in Washington.
"By no means is it over. We still are experiencing a global pandemic."
Reuters / Newshub.
