U.S. premature COVID-19 ending could help it surge: The Hill

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden's recent declaration that "the (COVID-19) pandemic is over" is not only premature but also dangerous, reported The Hill last week.

"This declaration has many damaging effects: as others have noted, it will now be even harder to persuade Americans to get the new bivalent boosters," said the Opinion article.

It will be tougher to persuade Congress to fund essential COVID-19 responses, and it will be nearly impossible for local officials to impose new indoor mask requirements should another surge arrive, it noted.

"Think of the lethal impact of the omicron virus last winter, just when we were so grateful that the delta wave had ebbed," said the report.

"Think of the deadly surges this summer, just when we were planning our long-delayed vacations," it added. "This is a virus that has humbled us too often. We must approach it with humility."