The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday 5th May, 2023 declared that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern.
The decision that was reached during the 15th meeting of the International Health Regulations Committee, was informed by decreasing trends in COVID-19 deaths, the decline in COVID-19 related hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions, and the
high levels of population immunity to SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, advised that this does not imply that COVID-19 is no longer a global health threat but rather, this is a sign of the progress the world has made in managing the spread of the virus.
The WHO director advised that countries must continue to strengthen their response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare mechanisms for responding to future pandemics and other threats. He added,“When the next pandemic comes knocking – and it will – we
must be ready to answer decisively, collectively, and equitably.”
