The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday (5) that it is ending the global emergency for Covid-19, declared more than three years ago when the pandemic began, which killed millions of people worldwide and changed daily life in ways previously unimaginable and, in some cases, permanently.
In practical terms, the decision changes little: many countries have already ended their states of emergency for Covid and eliminated almost all public health restrictions implemented to control the virus. However, the virus will continue to have pandemic status according to the WHO, just like HIV.
Globally, there have been 765,222,932 confirmed cases of Covid, including 6,921,614 deaths, reported to the WHO as of May 3. But these numbers underestimate the true cost of the pandemic. Independent researchers estimate that the actual death toll from the virus is many times higher than that presented by the organization.
The WHO’s emergency declaration was a crucial guideline when it was made on January 30, 2020, when only 213 people had reportedly died from the virus. The WHO’s standard signaled to the world that this new virus posed a threat outside of China, where it originated, and provided countries with critical support to impose potentially unpopular public health measures, such as mandatory mask-wearing.
The WHO’s decision was not well received by all health experts. Dr. Margareth Dalcolmo, a respiratory physician and member of the National Academy of Medicine of Brazil, who was one of the experts who stood out in the country guiding the public during the pandemic, said in an interview with The New York Times that it was too early to lift the emergency, as there are still urgent actions to be taken, such as research on Covid variants and the development of better vaccines. Having the designation of a global public health emergency creates leverage for low-income nations to access treatments and support, she said.
Source: The New York Times