The World Health Organization (WHO) has ended the global emergency status for COVID-19, declaring that countries should manage the virus along with other infectious diseases. The virus killed over 6.9 million people.
The Emergency Committee recommended the end of the coronavirus crisis as a “public health emergency of international concern” that had been in place since January 2020. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:
It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that ending the emergency did not mean COVID-19 was no longer a global health threat.
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During a press briefing, some WHO members became emotional and encouraged countries to learn from the pandemic. WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove said:
We can’t forget those fire pyres. We can’t forget the graves that were dug. None of us up here will forget them.
The COVID death rate has significantly decreased due to widespread vaccination, better treatments, and population immunity from prior infections, according to WHO data. However, ending the emergency status could affect international collaboration and funding efforts, although many have already adapted as the pandemic recedes in different regions. WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said:
The battle is not over. We still have weaknesses and those weaknesses that we still have in our system will be exposed by this virus or another virus. And it needs to be fixed.
Michael Ryan said WHO does not declare the start or end of pandemics, but it began using the term COVID-19 in March 2020. Ryan added that pandemics often end when the next one begins.
The WHO’s declaration comes four months after China lifted its severe COVID-19 restrictions and experienced a surge in infections. The decision suggests that a new, more dangerous coronavirus variant is unlikely to emerge in the coming months, but the virus remains unpredictable.
The WHO chief stated he would not hesitate to convene another emergency committee if needed.
COVID-19 will continue to challenge health systems worldwide, including long COVID and the WHO has published a plan advising countries on how to live with COVID long-term. Experts caution that COVID-19 remains a significant public health problem and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.