Biden EXTENDS Covid health emergency - even though he said pandemic was 'over' 

The Biden administration has extended the Covid-19 public health emergency declaration yet again, despite President Joe Biden claiming the pandemic was 'over.'

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra made the announcement via a press release.

The lengthy statement makes clear that the federal government believes the need for the emergency still 'exists.'

The order was first levied under Donald Trump's administration on January 27, 2020.

President Joe Biden's administration announced it was renewing the Covid-19 public health emergency order yet again

Becerra's statement reads: 'As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective January 11, 2023, the January 31, 2020, determination by former Secretary Alex M. Azar II, that he previously renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, October 2, 2020, and January 7, 2021, and that I renewed on April 15, 2021, July 19, 2021, October 15, 2021, January 14, 2022, April 12, 2022, July 15, 2022, and October 13, 2022, that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.'

Biden told CBS News' 60 Minutes in September: 'The pandemic is over.'

'We still have a problem with Covid. We’re still doing a lot of work on it,' the president said at the time.

'But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing.'

The public health emergency extension comes on the heels of another major pandemic measure being rolled back on Tuesday night

The administration is currently dealing with a winter spike in cases 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the military would no longer require Covid-19 vaccinations for troops, despite the fact that more than 6,000 service members had already been discharged for refusing the shot on religious or other grounds.

He added that he still recommends service members get vaccinated, and pointed out that it was up to commanding officers whether they deploy troops based on vaccination status.

Austin's decision was pursuant to a provision written into this year's annual defense budget bill.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Biden and his health advisers were eyeing an end to the emergency declaration.

Sources told Politico that Wednesday's renewal might be the last, with the emergency order potentially ending this spring.

The decision is reportedly not final and officials are currently preoccupied with battling another winter Covid surge.

April is the likely month for the order to end, it was reported, but short-term extensions cannot be ruled out if infections spiral out of control again.