On May 5, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus officially declared that the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer a global health emergency.
This significant move marks the end of a pandemic that has claimed nearly 7 million lives and devastated economies for almost three years. The announcement was made during a meeting of the Emergency Committee on Covid-19 on May 4. The committee meets every three months to discuss the pandemic and report to Director-General Tedros, who then decides whether Covid-19 still constitutes an international emergency.
According to the WHO chief, the pandemic is trending downward as immunity from infections and vaccinations among the population continues to rise. Additionally, hospitalization and death rates are decreasing, alleviating the strain on healthcare systems that was previously experienced.
“This trend allows most countries to return to normal life as before the pandemic. Therefore, I declare the end of the global health emergency due to Covid-19,” Tedros stated at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
However, the head of the United Nations health agency cautioned that this decision does not mean the threat is over, and the pandemic is not finished. He warned that the state of emergency could be reinstated if the actual situation changes.
Currently, there is a surge in new cases in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and India, driven by the XBB.1.16 subvariant of Omicron. Although this variant contributes to the spike in new cases, it has not increased the number of deaths, according to WHO reports. In fact, death cases have decreased by 95% since January.
Meanwhile, experts have varying opinions on WHO’s decision to end the Covid-19 emergency. Dr. Githinji Gitahi, executive director of the nonprofit Amref Health Africa, stated that prolonging the emergency status would dilute tools for combating the pandemic. The WHO’s declaration in 2020 helped mobilize resources for Africa, but it did not significantly address “vaccine inequity,” Gitahi noted.
On the other hand, Dr. Margareth Dalcolmo, a member of the Brazilian National Academy of Medicine, believes it is too early to lift the emergency status. She argues that the world still faces pressing tasks, such as researching the nCoV variants and developing better vaccines. She suggests that the emergency status serves as leverage for low-income countries to access treatment methods.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at a Covid-19 vaccine conference in Brussels, Belgium, in February. (Photo: AFP)
The United Nations health agency first declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, just weeks after the nCoV was discovered in China. At that time, there were fewer than 100 reported cases, with no deaths.
Only after Tedros labeled Covid-19 a global pandemic did many countries recognize the existing danger. Subsequently, countries declared health emergencies concerning Covid-19, aiming to accelerate research and increase funding for public health measures to combat the outbreak.
According to WHO data, the world has recorded over 765 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began, with nearly 7 million deaths. Europe has the highest number of infections, while the Americas have recorded the most deaths.
To date, the United States has declared an end to the Covid-19 emergency. Treatment costs, vaccinations, and testing will shift to private insurance and government health programs, rather than being free as they were previously.
Before the WHO declared the end of the pandemic emergency, the UK, Sweden, and some European countries believed that Covid had effectively ended in their nations since late 2022.
Currently, Vietnam still considers Covid-19 a health emergency as new cases are rising again, leading to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths. However, the Ministry of Health states that the situation is still under control, with most new cases showing mild or no symptoms, preventing overwhelming the healthcare system. In October 2022, the Ministry of Health indicated that the Covid-19 situation remained unstable and unpredictable; if the pandemic were declared over, Vietnam would face significant challenges, such as being unprepared for dangerous variants and public complacency. Therefore, Vietnam cannot yet declare the end of the Covid pandemic.
