WHO chief declares end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency …
“Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes – and those are just the deaths we know about,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, told reporters at the agency’s Geneva headquarters.
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According to WHO’s Coronavirus Dashboard, which has been compiling vital information since the beginning of the epidemic, the total number of cases globally is now 765,222,932, with over seven million deaths: the actual amount is presently 6,921,614.
As of April 30, more than 13.3 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally.
‘Still killing, still changing
He claimed the virus, which the WHO president declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, was here to stay: “It is still killing and it is still changing.” The possibility of new variations arising and causing additional surges in cases and deaths persists.”
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He stated that the decision was not taken lightly. The WHO-led Emergency Committee had been carefully studying the data for the past year to determine the best timing to lower the alarm.
For more than a year, the pandemic has “been on a downward trend,” he claimed, with immunity growing as a result of extremely efficient vaccines created at record speed to combat the disease and infections.
Death rates have reduced, and the strain on once-overburdened healthcare systems has lessened.
“This trend has allowed most countries to resume life as it was before COVID-19,” Tedros continued.
‘A torrent of misinformation and deceit
However, he noted that the pandemic had “exposed political fault lines, both within and between nations.” It has destroyed trust among people, governments, and organizations, fueled by a flood of misinformation and disinformation.”
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Tedros also underlined the virus’s massive impact on many sectors of global life, including massive economic turmoil, “erasing trillions from GDP, disrupting travel and trade, shuttering businesses, and plunging millions into poverty.”
He reminded the audience that thousands of people around the world are still fighting for their lives in intensive care, and millions more would live for the foreseeable future “with the debilitating effects” of post-COVID diseases, also known as “long COVID.”
On one level, the conclusion of the emergency was cause for celebration, according to the WHO chief, who praised the “incredible skill and selfless dedication of health and care workers” globally.
Reflecting on the ‘deep scars’
On another level, though, it was a time for introspection, as COVID continued to inflict “deep scars on our world.”
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“These scars must serve as a constant reminder of the possibility of new viruses emerging, with disastrous consequences,” he stated.
Learn from mistakes
Many mistakes were made, including a lack of coordination, equity, and solidarity, which resulted in the best use of current tools and technologies to combat the virus.
“We must promise ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren that we will never repeat those errors,” he stated.
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“This must change us all for the better.” It must strengthen our resolve to achieve the aim that nations had when they established the WHO in 1948: the greatest attainable level of health for all people.”