Covid-19 is no longer considered a “global health emergency” by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The statement is a significant step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after it first declared the virus to be at the highest level of alert.
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The virus’s death rate had dropped from more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on April 24, according to officials. According to the WHO’s director-general, at least seven million people died as a result of the pandemic.
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Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, stated that the true figure was “likely” closer to 20 million deaths – nearly three times the official estimate – and warned that the virus remained a serious threat.
“The Emergency Committee met for the 15th time yesterday and recommended that I declare an end to the international public health emergency.”
That advice has been accepted. “It is with great optimism that I declare Covid-19 a global health emergency,” Dr Tedros said.
He went on to say that the decision had been carefully considered for some time and was based on careful data analysis.
However, he cautioned that the removal of the highest level of alert did not mean the danger had passed, and that the emergency status could be reinstated if the situation changed.
“The worst thing any country can do now is let down its guard, dismantle the systems it has built, or send the message to its people that Covid-19 is nothing to be concerned about,” he said.
In January 2020, the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This indicated the need for global coordination to protect people from the new virus. Individual countries will now be responsible for managing Covid in the manner they deem most appropriate.
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According to the WHO, 13 billion doses have been administered, protecting many people from serious illness and death.
The United States and the United Kingdom, like many other countries, have already discussed “living with the virus” and have reduced many of the tests and social mixing rules.
However, in many countries, vaccines have not reached the majority of those in need. There have been over 765 million confirmed Covid infections worldwide.
According to Dr. Mike Ryan of the WHO’s health emergencies programme, the emergency may have ended, but the threat remains.
“We fully expect that this virus will continue to transmit and this is the history of pandemics. It took decades for the final throws of the pandemic virus of 1918 to disappear.” “In most cases pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins.”
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