And it’s still changing the risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases. And millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post COVID-19 conditions. As we speak thousands of people around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units. “Last week COVID-19 claimed one life every three minutes – and that’s just those that we know. However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,” Tedros cautioned. “It’s therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency. ![]() COVID is over as a global health emergency – but not as a global health threat An Italian border guard checks the temperature of an arriving airline passenger in April 2020, as the first wave of the COVID pandemic crested. The Emergency Committee made its recommendation following a meeting Thursday in Geneva – the 15th such gathering since the SARS-CoV2 virus was first reported in Wuhan in early January 2020. He was referring to the emergency provisions of WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR) that legally obligate WHO members states to act on public health threats. And it has laid bare the searing inequalities of our world – with the poorest and most vulnerable communities the hardest and the last to receive vaccines and other tools.”īut in light of the steady downward trend in COVID-related mortality, brought about by a weakening virus, growing population immunity and increased vaccination rates, WHO’s COVID-19 Emergency Committee “recommended to me that I declare an end to the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), ” he said. “It has eroded trust between people, governments and institutions, fueled by a torrent of myths and misinformation. “COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated political lines within and between nations.| “It caused severe social upheaval, with borders closed, movements restricted and schools shut, and millions of people experiencing loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression. “it has caused severe economic upheaval, shaving trillions from GDP, disrupting travel and trade, shattering businesses and throwing millions into poverty. “COVID has been so much more than a health crisis,” Tedros observed. In the warm-up to his announcement, the WHO DG reviewed the litter of global damage wrought by the virus that ripped like a hurricane through societies worldwide in early 2020: Poverty made social distancing and basic hygiene rules difficult, if not impossible, for billions. ![]() Litany of damage Coronavirus lockdown in a Roma community in Romania in May 2021. He noted that “COVID-19 turned our world upside down” with a reported death toll of seven million deaths but a likely actual death toll of close to 20 million.Īnd “the virus is here to stay” he stressed, warning countries not to let down their guard. He called upon political leaders to move quickly to finalise the terms of a new Pandemic Accord being negotiated by WHO member states, as well as agreeing to revisions in WHO’s existing International Health Regulations so as to “transform that suffering” of COVID 19 into “meaningful and lasting change” with a “commitment to future generations that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect that left our world vulnerable.” Taken together, these could soon lead to yet another pandemic if not forcefully addressed. Speaking at a media briefing, the WHO DG warned that the disease remains a threat along with multiple other stressors threatening global health and security – from climate change to weak health systems. ![]() His declaration came more than 39 months after WHO first declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 over a mysterious respiratory virus that emerged in Wuhan, China but quickly overcame countries around the world. The COVID global health emergency is over, said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus at a press conference on Friday. ![]() WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declares an end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency – but warns disease remains a threat.
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