WHO declares end to global health emergency status for COVID-19

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the epidemic that had shaken the world for years was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. 

The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made this announcement during a media briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic and global health issues. He stated that the decision was a recommendation from the emergency committee meeting that sat for the 15th time on Wednesday.

“It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global public health emergency. However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,” he said.

He added that this should be the time that countries share this comforting message to their people, and recommended transition from emergency mode to managing Covid-19 as a disease that is here to stay like other infectious diseases. 

JESCA MUTAMBA