JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
The decision was announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus based on the recommendations of the WHO Emergency Committee which has met for the 15th time to assess the public health emergency status of international concern.
"I have received that suggestion. Therefore, with great hope I declare COVID-19 ending as a global health emergency," Ghebreyesus quoted Antara as saying.
However, the announcement does not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a global health threat.
Tedros explained that last week the virus still claimed lives every three minutes.
"This virus will remain, still kill, and still change. The risk of a new variant causing a spike in cases and new deaths remains," Tedros warned.
To that end, Tedros urged countries not to use the announcement as a reason to be careless, disband the health system that had been built, or to convey to people that COVID-19 was nothing to worry about.
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He explained that the declaration meant it was time for countries to switch from emergency mode to handling COVID-19 such as other infectious diseases.
stressing that it was not an instant decision, Tedros said he would not hesitate to hold an emergency committee meeting if COVID-19 returned to endanger the world.
Since the pandemic began in December 2019, COVID-19 infections have caused nearly 7 million deaths, according to the WHO.
WHO also recorded 765.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency which became an international concern on January 30, 2020.
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