World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency.
Yesterday, the #COVID19 Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 5, 2023
With great hope I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.
But even though the emergency phase is over, he's emphatic the pandemic hasn't ended, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The W-H-O says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects.