{"id":31344,"date":"2022-09-24T18:04:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T18:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=31344"},"modified":"2022-10-02T07:53:59","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T07:53:59","slug":"is-the-pandemic-over-we-asked-an-economist-an-education-expert-and-a-public-health-scholar-their-views","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/is-the-pandemic-over-we-asked-an-economist-an-education-expert-and-a-public-health-scholar-their-views\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the pandemic over? We asked an economist, an education expert and a public health scholar their\u00a0views"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

William Hauk<\/a>, University of South Carolina<\/a><\/em>; Lisa Miller<\/a>, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a><\/em>, and Wayne Au<\/a>, University of Washington, Bothell<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden\u2019s declaration that \u201cthe pandemic is over<\/a>\u201d raised eyebrows and the hackles of some experts who think such messaging could be premature and counterproductive<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to many Americans who have long since returned to pre-COVID 19 activities and are now being forced back into the office<\/a>, the remark may ring true.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is that what \u201cback to normal\u201d feels like may differ from person to person, depending on the individual\u2019s circumstances and by what criteria they are judging the pandemic to be over. The Conversation asked three scholars of different parts of U.S. society affected by the pandemic \u2013 public health, education and the economy \u2013 to evaluate just how \u201cover\u201d the pandemic is in their worlds. This is what they said:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public health: Not all black and white<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lisa Miller, adjunct professor of epidemiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Biden has answered the question of whether the pandemic is over with a clear \u2018yes,\u2019 but this is not a black and white issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is true that, thanks to widespread immunity from vaccines and infections<\/a>, the U.S. is in a very different place than the country was even a year ago. But as an epidemiologist, I think the continued occurrence of between 350 and 400 deaths in the U.S. every day<\/a> and hundreds of deaths per week in other countries around the world<\/a> still constitutes a pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I understand the need Biden faces as a public figure to try to succinctly state where the country is and provide some hope and reassurance, but public health experts are still in a situation where no one can predict how the virus will mutate and evolve<\/a>. These mutations may make the virus less dangerous, but it is also possible that the next variant could be more harmful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, it doesn\u2019t matter what you call the current situation \u2013 COVID-19 still poses a significant, ongoing risk to the world. Pandemic or not, it is important to continue investing in the development of improved vaccines and bolstering the preparedness of the medical and public health systems. As COVID-19 wears on, the risk is that decision-makers will lose sight of these important goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The economy: Back to a new normal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

William Hauk, associate professor of economics, University of South Carolina<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an economic researcher<\/a>, I can speak to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and its lingering effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the good news is that the worst of the pandemic\u2019s impact on the economy ended some time ago. After spiking to a postwar high of 14.7% in April 2020 as the ravages of the pandemic were taking its toll, the unemployment rate<\/a> has been at 4% or lower for all of 2022. Notably, in the August employment report, the total number of employed workers in the U.S. exceeded its pre-pandemic high for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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