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The Covid-19 outbreak has been deemed to no longer be a "global health emergency" by the World Health Organization (WHO). The decision was made at the WHO's International Health Regulations Emergency Committee's 15th meeting on Covid-19 on Thursday, May 4.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus agreed that the public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, proclamation should expire while speaking at a conference on Friday, May 5.
"The pandemic has been in a decreasing trend for almost a year. Most nations have been able to get back to life as it was before COVID-19 thanks to this trend, according to Tedros. "The emergency committee convened yesterday for the fifteenth time, and they advised that I end the public health emergency of global significance. I've taken your recommendation, he said.
About six weeks prior to classifying the coronavirus epidemic as a pandemic, the WHO designated the outbreak as a public health emergency of global concern in January 2020. On May 11, the Covid-19 public health emergency in the US will come to an end.
According to estimates from the WHO, there have been more than 765 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the epidemic began. Over 7 million people have passed away. Although the Americas have recorded the most deaths, Europe has overall had the most verified cases. About 1 in 6 deaths worldwide have occurred in the US.
The announcement, which comes three years after it initially raised its highest level of warning over the virus, is a significant step toward putting an end to the pandemic.
As of 24 April, slightly over 3,500 people had died from the illness, down from a peak of more than 100,000 per week in January 2021, according to officials.
According to the WHO director, the epidemic claimed at least seven million lives.
The real number, according to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is "likely" closer to 20 million deaths, which is almost three times the official estimate. He also issued a warning that the virus still poses a serious threat.
"The Emergency Committee convened for the fifteenth time yesterday, and they advised that I declare the public health emergency of international importance to be over. That suggestion has my consent. Therefore, it is with great optimism that I declare COVID-19 to be over as a worldwide health emergency, according to Dr. Tedros.
