Article by Arabella Balderama

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday that the COVID-19 “emergency phase” has ended after more than three years of causing damage around the world.

“It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, explaining that the emergency ended; however, the global threat still remained.

This announcement came after the WHO’s Emergency Committee meeting, marking a significant step towards ending the pandemic that destroyed communities, devastated the global economy, and killed more than 6.9 million people.

The meeting on Thursday recommended that the United Nations agency declare the coronavirus crisis as a health issue that no longer constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC)—the highest alert level since January 30, 2020.

Although the PHEIC being lifted is a sign of progress, the WHO said COVID-19 would continue even if it no longer represents an emergency.

During the press briefing regarding the decision, some WHO members became emotional as they encouraged the public to ponder on the lessons brought about by the pandemic.

“We can’t forget those fire pyres. We can’t forget the graves that were dug. None of us up here will forget them,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Technical Lead on COVID-19.

“COVID has changed the world, and it has changed us. And that’s the way it should be. If we go back to how things were before COVID-19, we will have failed to learn our lessons, and failed our future generations,” Director-General Ghebreyesus also stated.

According to data from WHO, the COVID mortality rate decreased from 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to over 3,500 in April 2023, reflecting the results of treatments and vaccinations conducted worldwide.

As Reuters stated, ending the emergency may signal the conclusion or a shift in focus of international collaboration and financial efforts, though many have already adjusted as the pandemic recedes in different places.

“The battle is not over. We still have weaknesses and those weaknesses that we still have in our system will be exposed by this virus or another virus. And it needs to be fixed,” said Michael Ryan, Executive Director for WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

Thumbnail from Madhyamam