Dr. Anthony Fauci has given an upbeat assessment of the current state of the coronavirus in the United States, saying the country is �out of the pandemic phase� when it comes to new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, but that it appears to be making a transition to COVID-19 becoming an endemic disease � occurring regularly in certain areas.

Fauci, the nation�s top infectious disease expert, said on the PBS �NewsHour� on Tuesday that the coronavirus remains a pandemic for much of the world, but the threat is not over for the United States, adding that he was speaking about the worst phase of the pandemic.

�Namely, we don�t have 900,000 new infections a day and tens and tens and tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths. We are at a low level right now,� he said.

In comments Wednesday to The Washington Post, however, Fauci seemed to clarify his earlier remarks, saying that unlike the �full-blown explosive pandemic phase� during the brutal winter omicron surge, he was describing what appears to be a period of transition toward the coronavirus becoming an endemic disease.

�The world is still in a pandemic. There�s no doubt about that. Don�t anybody get any misinterpretation of that. We are still experiencing a pandemic,� Fauci told the Post.

His comments come as health authorities wrestle with how to keep COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations manageable and learn to live with what�s still a mutating and unpredictable virus. The Biden administration has stressed that the nation has more tools � vaccinations, booster shots and medications � to better handle infections than earlier in the pandemic.

U.S. cases are far lower than they were in recent months. But health officials are keeping a close eye as highly contagious variants continue to spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases have risen about 25% in the past week.

(AP)