Covid no longer a global health emergency, says WHO

Covid is no longer a global health emergency, the World Health Organisation declared this week.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (above) said the epidemic has been downgraded and confirmed cases and deaths have been on a downward trend for over a year.

“This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew,” Tedros said.

“It’s therefore with great hope that Covid-19 is over as a global health emergency.”

The WHO declared Covid an emergency in late January, 2020 and nearly seven million people have died from the virus globally since then.

Tedros says there is still some risk of a new variant, which could lead to another surge in cases, Travel Mole reported.

He urged governments to remain vigilant as global travel patterns start to return to normal.

“This virus is here to stay and still changing,” he said.

"In early 2020 the virus caused an unheard of global shutdown travel and border.

“It has been so much more than health crisis.

“It has caused severe economic upheaval, disrupting travel and trade, and plunging millions into poverty.”

Dr Kate O’Brien, director of WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, said that declaring the end of Covid-19 as a global health emergency does not end vaccination efforts.

Covid vaccine coverage for individuals at high risk remains “far too low” in many countries, such as in the African continent.