WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived back in Washington on Monday night after attending Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in London.
But in D.C, the president faced questions about comments he made one day earlier about COVID-19 on the CBS television show “60 Minutes.”
Biden, who was on “60 Minutes” on Sunday, commented first on the pandemic.
“The pandemic is over,” Biden said. “We still have a problem -- the COVID -- we are still doing a lot of work on it but the pandemic is over.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back on the president’s comments in a tweet.
“Biden declared the pandemic is over, so when will he let those discharged from the military due to vax mandates return to protecting our country?” asked DeSantis.
The U.S. government still designates COVID as a public health emergency.
According to the World Health Organization, COVID remains a “public health emergency of international concern.”
Biden’s remarks come as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Americans to “not let their guard down.”
“As we get into this coming late fall and winter, it is likely that we will see another variant emerge,” said Fauci.
The World Health Organization says that 19.4 million new cases were reported worldwide from Aug. 16 to Sept. 17.
“During that time period, 2.5 million cases were reported in the U.S.,” the World Health Organization reported.
In response, the White House is calling on Congress to lock down more than $22 billion to fight the virus.
“I think the president was reflecting what so many Americans are feeling and thinking,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. ”That COVID has disrupted our lives for so long.”