both Noah and the CDC seem rather vague on how to define a 'pandemic'. This could be an important sticking point in attempts to use the pandemic label to curtail Constitutional rights.
"Occasionally, the amount of disease in a community rises above the expected level. Epidemic refers to an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area. Outbreak carries the same definition of epidemic, but is often used for a more limited geographic area. Cluster refers to an aggregation of cases grouped in place and time that are suspected to be greater than the number expected, even though the expected number may not be known. Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people."
sauce
https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section11.html