The World Health Organization confirmed today, Friday, the end of COVID-19 after it claimed the lives of more than 6.9 million people and impacted the global economy and communities, stating that it no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO Emergency Committee met yesterday, Thursday, and recommended that the United Nations agency declare an end to the public health emergency that has raised international concerns for over three years.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, "I declare the end of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern," adding that ending the emergency does not mean the threat posed by COVID to global health has concluded.
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. With great hope, I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 5, 2023
Ghebreyesus emphasized, "COVID changed the world, and we changed. That’s how it should be. If we return to how things were before COVID-19, it means we did not learn the lesson, and we have let down future generations."
