The World Health Organisation has declared an end to the Covid global emergency, but warned countries not to drop their guards, or dismantle responses to the coronavirus. The announcement by the international health body marks a symbolic end to the coronavirus pandemic which is estimated to have killed at least 20 million people in the past three years.
The WHO said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic had not come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said: “It’s with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency. “That does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat.” Dr Tedros said the virus was “here to stay” and that it was still killing people and evolving.
The downgrading meant governments should now focus on transitioning from “emergency mode” to living with the virus. He said: “The worst thing any country could 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.” If the situation worsened, he said he would not hesitate to declare another health emergency.
He said: “I emphasise that this is not a snap decision. It is a decision that has been considered carefully for some time, planned for, and made on the basis of a careful analysis of the data.” ‘Covid changed our world – and us’
The World Health Organization first declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020. As the infection spread worldwide, it was declared a pandemic six weeks later on March 11.
The disease prompted once-unthinkable lockdowns, school closures and travel bans, and upended economies worldwide. “Covid has changed our world and it has changed us,” Dr Tedros said. The coronavirus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine. He said: “At one level, this is a moment for celebration. We have arrived at this moment thanks to the incredible skill and selfless dedication of health and care workers.”
But he said the announcement was also a time for reflection. “Covid-19 has left, and continues to leave, deep scars on our world. Those scars must serve as a permanent reminder of the potential for new viruses to emerge, with devastating consequences. “As a global community, the suffering we have endured, the painful lessons we have learned, the investments we have made and the capacities we have built must not go to waste
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