Anthony Fauci says the US is not in a ‘pandemic phase’. What does that mean?

With funds for anti-virals and other measure dwindling, some experts are concerned the US is too sanguine about future surges

The US has left the pandemic phase" at least for now, chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said this week, at the same time that the White House presses for urgently needed Covid-19 funding. But as cases continue mounting around the globe, the pandemic shows no signs of ending yet - and conflicting pictures offered by top health officials may hamper the renewal of critical Covid funds and efforts like vaccination campaigns.

In an interview on Tuesday, Fauci painted an optimistic, if mixed, picture. We are certainly, right now in this country, out of the pandemic phase," he said, before adding, Pandemic means a widespread, throughout the world, infection that spreads rapidly among people."