Coronavirus Next: White House says US is moving toward time when 'COVID isn’t a crisis'

As the Omicron variant loosens its grip on the US, White House officials say the country is moving toward a time when “COVID isn’t a crisis.”  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon change its safety recommendations. And public health experts nationwide are voicing support for adjusting measures around COVID case counts and surges.  “Masks on as surges start, off during quiet times,” wrote Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, in a tweet. “That’s how many countries do it. And that’s a good approach.” The news comes alongside “incredibly encouraging” wastewater metrics in Eastern Massachusetts. Levels have now dropped 98 percent from earlier this year, suggesting that the Omicron-fueled surge is ending. One model estimates that 73 percent of Americans are, for now, immune to the dominant variant.