Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said last week that the U.S. is transitioning “out of the pandemic phase” of the COVID-19 health crisis. His comments were followed by news that the European Union is moving out of the emergency phase of the pandemic as COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations across Europe decline significantly, according to the New York Times.
“We’re really in a transitional phase, from a deceleration of the numbers into hopefully a more controlled phase and endemicity,” Fauci said, according to The Washington Post.
While Fauci’s comments signal hope that the U.S. and other nations could finally be moving into a post-pandemic world, officials should proceed with caution, says Wendy Parmet, Matthews Distinguished University Professor of Law and co-director of Northeastern’s Center for Health Policy and Law.