Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday announced that COVID-19 is over as a global health emergency. During its press conference today, the WHO chief said that for more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has been on a downward trend.
“Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” the WHO chief said.
He also informed that for the past year, the Emergency Committee – and WHO – have been analysing the data carefully and considering when the time would be right to lower the level of alarm.
“It is therefore with great hope that I declare #COVID19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat. Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes – and that’s just the deaths we know about,” he announced.
However, the WHO chief also warned that this virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it is still changing.
“The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths,” he added.
On Thursday, global health experts met to decide if COVID-19 is still an emergency under the World Health Organization‘s rules.
On January 30, 2020, WHO first gave COVID its highest level of alert.
“What this news means is that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing #COVID19 alongside other infectious diseases,” he said. The WHO chief also announced that while this Emergency Committee will now cease its work, it has sent a clear message that countries must not cease theirs.
