WHO ends COVID-19 emergency status, but warns against complacency

Washington: The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it will no longer consider COVID-19 to be a global health emergency. The organization initially declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. During a media briefing held at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement, indicating that the situation had improved since the pandemic’s initial outbreak. COVID-19 no longer a public health emergency

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has downgraded COVID-19 from a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the pandemic is not yet over. While announcing the change during a media briefing in Geneva, he stated that COVID-19 remains a significant global health threat, with a life being claimed by the virus every three minutes. Despite the downgrade, Dr. Tedros urged people to continue taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus. COVID-19 no longer a public health emergency

According to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the decision to downgrade COVID-19 as a global health emergency is based on the pandemic’s downward trend over the past year. This trend is attributed to the growing immunity of the global population, both from vaccination and previous infections. Additionally, the decreasing number of deaths has led to a reduced burden on healthcare systems worldwide. While this is a positive development, Dr. Tedros noted that the threat of COVID-19 remains, and he urged continued efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.

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What is Public health emergency

Whenever any human health emergency occurs, the World Health Organization declares an emergency based on its status. COVID-19 no longer a public health emergency

A public health emergency refers to a situation that poses a significant risk to public health and requires immediate action to prevent or mitigate harm. A pandemic, on the other hand, is an outbreak of a disease that spreads globally or over a wide geographic area, affecting a significant number of people. When a pandemic is declared a public health emergency, it means that the situation is severe, and there is an urgent need for coordinated international action to contain and control the spread of the disease.

The declaration of a public health emergency pandemic can trigger various measures, such as travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, and the mobilization of public health resources to manage the crisis.