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We May Be In A Pandemic-to-Endemic Transition For COVID-19

Here's what you need to know about the difference between pandemic and endemic disease, and what they both mean for COVID-19.

By Sam Walters
Sep 26, 2022 2:30 PMSep 26, 2022 2:28 PM
COVID-19 Vaccine
(Credit: PIC SNIPE/Shutterstock)

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In an interview airing on 60 Minutes, President Joe Biden announced that the pandemic is ending in the U.S. "We still have a problem with COVID," Biden said, "but the pandemic is over."

Though the comment seems somewhat contradictory, it captures the continuing struggle among specialists to determine where we stand with the current COVID-19 pandemic. In other words, scientists simply cannot agree whether the pandemic was a problem of the past or whether continuing cases indicate that the pandemic is far from over.

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