THE World Health Organization (WHO) says the covid19 world health emergency is now over.
At a press conference on Friday morning, WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was advised to declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern on Thursday.
"It is therefore with great hope that I declare covid19 over as a global health emergency," Tedros said.
But he warned that the virus still exists and can kill. Tedros said thousands of people around the world are still fighting for their lives in intensive care units, while millions of others continue to live with post-covid effects. He said the virus remains a global health threat.
"Last week, covid19 claimed a life every three minutes – and that’s just the deaths we know about," he said.
"This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it is still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths."
Tedros said countries must now move from emergency mode to managing the virus alongside other infectious diseases.
He said the decision to call an end to the world health emergency was not a snap decision.
"It is a decision that has been considered carefully for some time, planned for, and made on the basis of a careful analysis of the data."
Tedros said if covid19 puts the world in peril again, he will not hesitate to convene another emergency committee.
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