I have made this decision, but with caution, and if the global epidemiological situation changes, I will not hesitate to declare a state of emergency again, the WHO Director-General warned
The WHO chief stressed the need to learn from the lessons of the pandemic. (Photo: PL)
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this Friday the end of the global health emergency due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid19.
“Yesterday the Emergency Committee met for the fifteenth time and recommended that I declare the public health emergency of international concern over. I accepted that advice,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom.
In a press conference broadcast by the official WHO account, Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that this does not mean that Covid19 has ended as a threat to global health.
Last week Covid19 claimed a life every three minutes and that’s just the deaths we know of, he stressed.
“This virus is here to stay. Keep killing and keep changing. The risk of new variants emerging and causing more cases and deaths remains.”
According to the Director-General of the WHO, the pandemic has been on a downward trend for more than a year, with an increase in the population’s immunity to vaccination and infection, a decrease in mortality and pressure on health systems.
I made this decision, but with caution, and if the global epidemiological situation changes, I will not hesitate to declare an emergency again, the manager warned.
In March, Adhanom said the Covid-19 pandemic will cease to be a public health emergency of international concern sometime this year.
That means the world is in a much better position now than it was at any time during the pandemic.
The WHO chief stressed the need to learn from the lessons of the pandemic, otherwise the cycle of panic and neglect that has been the hallmark of the global epidemic and pandemic response for decades would repeat itself.
He asserted that living in a safer world requires public health that has strong health systems, continues tracing efforts and provides sound primary care.
