After three years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of COVID-19 global health emergency status, but noted that COVID-19 as a threat remain.
In a public briefing on Friday, May 5, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanaom Ghebreyesus said that the declaration was based on the recommendation of the organization's Emergency Committee.
"It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 as a global health emergency over," he said.
According to Ghebreyesus, there has been a "downward trend" of the pandemic for over a year now as immunity continues to increase while morality decreases around the world.
The good news and great hope: the global health emergency of #COVID19 is over. https://t.co/Sq5gU55BOe pic.twitter.com/xSvkkcqTqy
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 5, 2023
He, however, noted that countries removing the health emergency meant that the COVID-19 infection is over.
"This virus is here to stay. It is still killing and it is still changing," Ghebreyesus said.
"The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths," he added.
The WHO Director-General said countries should not use this declaration as a "reason to let their guards down" and "dismantle the systems" they have built.
WHO declared the COVID-19 global health emergency status in January 30, 2020, amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
Based on the United Nation agency's COVID-19 monitoring, there have been 765,222,932 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 6,921,614 deaths around the world as of May 3.
