CNN: White House Says Covid Policy 'Unchanged' Despite Biden's Comments That The 'Pandemic is Over'

The Biden administration is largely downplaying President Joe Biden's comments declaring the coronavirus pandemic "over," suggesting his remarks signal a continuation of the White House's evolving stance toward the pandemic over the past few months.

"The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with Covid. We're still doing a lot of work on it. It's -- but the pandemic is over," Biden said during an interview with CBS "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday. The comments caught some in the administration by surprise, according to two officials.

A day later, an administration official told CNN that the President's comments do not mark a change in policy toward the administration's handling of the virus, and there are no plans to lift the Public Health Emergency, which has been in place since January 2020 and is currently extended through October 13.

President Biden tells 60 Minutes that U.S. men and women would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. However, after our interview, a White House official told us that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed. https://t.co/ANg54LifSH pic.twitter.com/V5qjoqF36T

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 19, 2022