The Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization has declared that the public health emergency that began on January 30, 2020 has ceased to exist.
The announcement was made by the director general of the UN agency, who recalled that one thousand two hundred and twenty-one days ago, the Organization became aware of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China.
“On January 30, 2020, on the advice of an Emergency Committee convened under the International Health Regulations, I declared a public health emergency of international concern for the global outbreak of COVID-19, the highest level of alarm under the international law,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus.
At that time, fewer than 100 cases and no deaths had been reported outside of China, he noted before commenting that “in the three years since then, COVID-19 has turned our world upside down.”
In that time, WHO has received notification of almost 7 million deathsbut it is known that the number of victims is several times higher: at least 20 millionaccording to the data it handles.
In addition to the deaths, Dr. Tedros recalled that health systems have been seriously disrupted and millions of people have been unable to access essential health services, such as childhood vaccinations, vital to saving lives.
Much more than a health crisis
He also explained that the pandemic has caused severe economic disruption, erasing trillions of dollars of GDP, disrupting travel, tourism, and commerce, closing businesses and plunging millions of people into poverty.
Other serious social upheavals occurred with the closure of borders, the restriction of movement, the closure of schools and many others that continue, such as the millions of people who suffer from loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression, in addition to the long COVID.
“COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated political divisions within and between nations. It has eroded trust between people, governments and institutions, fed by a torrent of misinformation. And it has exposed the most pressing inequalities in our world, with the poorest and most vulnerable communities hit hardest, and the last to receive access to vaccines and other tools,” Tedros said.
The WHO leader then commented that, however, for more than a year, the pandemic has followed a downward trend, with an increase in population immunity thanks to vaccination and infection, a decrease in mortality and a reduction in pressure on health systems.
“This trend has allowed most countries to return to the life they knew before COVID-19,” he observed, later commenting that, for the last year, the Emergency Committee and the World Health Organization have been analyzing carefully the data and considering when would be the right moment to lower the alarm level.
“Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the fifteenth time and recommended that I declare the end of the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice. Therefore, it is with great hope that I declare the end of COVID-19 as an international health emergency.“, advertisement.
However, the head of global public health watchdog warned that “this does not mean that COVID-19 has ceased to be a threat to global health.”
In fact, in the past week, COVID-19 has claimed one life every three minutes and thousands around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units, while millions continue to live with the debilitating effects of the infection.
Don’t let your guard down
“This virus is here to stay. Keep killing and keep changing. There is still a risk that new variants will appear, causing new spikes in cases and deaths. The worst thing any country could do right now is use this news as a reason to lower their guard, dismantle the systems they have built, or send the message to their population that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about,” Tedros warned.
The WHO director explained that what the news means is that the time has come for countries to move from emergency mode to managing COVID-19 along with other infectious diseases.
Doctor Tedros explained that this is not a hasty decision, but one made on the basis of a thorough analysis of the data, and assured that, if necessary, he will not hesitate to convene another Emergency Committee if COVID-19 puts the world in danger
Then, he recalled that the UN agency has published this week the fourth edition of the Global Strategic Plan for Preparedness and Response to COVID-19, which describes essential measures for countries in five basic areas:
- collaborative surveillance
- community protection
- safe and scalable care
- access to countermeasures
- emergency coordination.
For more than three years, the experts on the Emergency Committee have dedicated their time, experience and knowledge, not only to advise on whether COVID-19 continues to represent a global health emergency, but also to advise on recommendations for countries .
“I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the members of the Emergency Committee for their thoughtful consideration and wise advice (…) I also want to thank the incredible people whom I have the privilege to call colleagues. For more than three years, WHO staff have worked around the clock, under intense pressure and intense scrutiny. They have brought together partners and experts from around the world to generate evidence, study it and translate it into guidance and action around the world. (…) My colleagues have worked tirelessly to get vaccines and other supplies to more people faster. And they have countered misinformation with accurate and reliable information. I have no words to express my gratitude to all those who, like me, are proud to be from WHO”, she concluded.
2023-05-05 16:20:12
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