The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, signifying the symbolic conclusion of the deadly coronavirus pandemic which led to once-unimaginable lockdowns, disrupted economies, and killed millions of people around the world.
COVID-19 is no longer considered a “global health emergency” by the World Health Organization (WHO). The statement represents a significant step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after the highest level of virus alert was first declared. The WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis more than three years ago. This news brings some relief, if not an end, to a pandemic that caused fear, suspicion, hand-wringing, and pointing fingers around the world.
You can also read: The rise of generalist medical AI: Transforming healthcare
According to WHO data, the COVID death rate has decreased from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 in the week ending April 24, 2023, as a result of widespread vaccination, the availability of improved treatments, and population immunity from prior infections. The pandemic resulted in at least seven million deaths, the director of the WHO reported.
“Global health emergency” phase is over, but the threat remains
“It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that the end of the emergency did not mean COVID was over as a global health threat.
“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’ve accepted that advice” he said. He added that the decision had been extensively considered for some time and was based on a thorough analysis of data.
However, Tedrod cautioned that unforeseen variants could emerge in the future. He stated that while the official mortality toll from COVID-19 was 7 million, it was estimated to be at least 20 million. “The worst thing any country can do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about,” he said.
In January 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This demonstrated the necessity for coordinated global action to safeguard people from the new virus. Now, it will be up to individual nations to continue managing COVID-19 as they see fit.
Vaccines played a big role!
After more than three years, the virus has caused over 765 million cases worldwide. Vaccines were a significant turning point during the pandemic. According to the WHO, 13 billion doses have been administered, enabling numerous individuals to be protected from fatal diseases. However, in many nations, vaccines have not reached the majority of those in need.
When Tedros declared COVID-19 an emergency in 2020, he cited the potential for the virus to proliferate in nations with inadequate health systems as his greatest concern. In reality, some of the countries with the highest COVID-19 mortality tolls, including the United States and the United Kingdom, were previously considered to be the most prepared for a pandemic. According to WHO statistics, Africa accounts for only 3 percent of the global death toll.
Significant safety concerns to consider
The damage that COVID-19 had done to the global community, with the pandemic having shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, caused the spread of misinformation, and plunged millions of people into starvation. As the risk of a fatal recurrence of the virus persists, countries must adhere to safety regulations to mitigate the risk.
The WHO’s announcement comes just four months after China terminated its long-term, severe COVID restrictions and experienced a massive increase in infections. The decision also suggests that WHO experts do not anticipate the emergence of a new, more dangerous coronavirus variant in the coming months, although the virus remains unpredictable.
“I will not hesitate to convene another emergency committee should COVID-19 once again put our world in peril”, WHO chief Tedros said.
In several parts of the world, testing has drastically decreased, and individuals stopped wearing masks. During COVID outbreaks, mask-wearing mandates have been reinstated in various nations. The public health emergency declaration for COVID-19 in the United States is scheduled to expire on May 11, at which point extensive measures to support the pandemic response, such as vaccine mandates, are going to end. Last year, many other nations, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, curtailed their pandemic preparations significantly.
Path ahead
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a revised version of their strategic preparedness and response plan for COVID-19 last week, describing the steps that countries should take over the next two years in order to live with COVID in the long run.
“What is most urgent now is to make sure that countries don’t turn their back on trying to learn the lessons of COVID and bolster their preparedness for future pandemics,” Epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo, the director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University says.
COVID will continue to pose a challenge to global health systems, including long-term COVID, according to experts in infectious diseases. Numerous nations have already discussed “living with the virus” and reduced the number of tests and social mingling restrictions.
Dr. Mike Ryan, from the WHO’s health emergencies programme, stated that while the emergency may have concluded, 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 throes of the pandemic virus of 1918 to disappear. In most cases, pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins.” he said.
