Covid-19 no longer a global health emergency, but WHO warns against complacency
WHO announced that the Covid-19 pandemic, which claimed millions of lives and caused economic and social disruption, no longer constitutes a global health emergency. However, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the threat from Covid-19 remained and estimated that the virus had killed “at least 20 million” people, which is about three times the nearly seven million deaths officially recorded. Tedros also cautioned that the virus was here to stay and that the worst thing any country could do now is to let down its guard or send the message to its people that Covid-19 is nothing to worry about.
The UN health agency first declared the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, after the disease was detected in China. But it was only after Tedros declared the situation as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, that many countries woke up to the danger. The SARS CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease, had already begun its deadly rampage around the globe.
Tedros highlighted that “a lack of coordination, a lack of equity, and a lack of solidarity” led to unnecessary loss of life during the pandemic. He called for global cooperation and coordination to ensure that similar mistakes were not repeated in the future. Although Covid deaths have decreased by 95% globally since January, the virus remains a major threat, and last week alone, it claimed a life every three minutes.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, echoed Tedros’s sentiments and emphasized that the pandemic was not over yet. She urged people not to forget the staggering inequality in access to healthcare and services that the pandemic exposed.
Tedros also warned of the ongoing impact of Long Covid, which can provoke numerous and often severe and debilitating symptoms that can drag on for years. He estimated that one in ten people who contract Covid could be impacted by Long Covid, suggesting that hundreds of millions could need longer-term care.
While the world is currently trying to put measures in place to avert future global health catastrophes, efforts are being hampered by debates surrounding the origins of the pandemic. The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, but it remains unclear how and where it first began spreading among humans. WHO and its member states have launched discussions about an international treaty or something similar to draw lessons from the mistakes made and ensure that the world reacts more effectively and equitably to the next one.
Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/05/covid-no-longer-global-health-emergency-who/
