The World Health Organization (WHO), declared the coronavirus pandemic’s emergency status over.
In a declaration made Friday, May 5, 2023, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the WHO said, COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
“Yesterday, the COVID-19 Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” said the WHO director in a tweet.
He added that “With great hope, I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.”
Calling on stakeholders to manage the virus like any other infectious disease, he cautioned that, ” the end of the emergency did not mean COVID was over as a global health threat.”
Declared a health emergency in 2020, the virus first discovered in China has killed more than six million alongside other infectious diseases.
The COVID death rate according to WHO data has slowed from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 in the week of April 24, 2023.
By David Atangana
