Shenzhen: Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organization announced on Friday (May 5), in a major move towards ending the pandemic which killed nearly 7 million people worldwide and wreaked havoc on the global economy. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva he made the decision following a recommendation from the UN agency’s emergency committee, which met on Thursday for the 15th time.
I have accepted that advice. It is therefore with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency.
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While the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an end to the global emergency status, the virus remains harmful and China will continue to monitor it while increasing vaccinations among high-risk groups, a top Chinese health official said.
The WHO ended its highest level of alert for COVID on Friday, more than three years after its original declaration, saying countries should now manage the virus along with other infectious diseases.
The ending of the alert status does not mean COVID will disappear, but its impact can now be effectively controlled, Liang Wannian, head of China’s COVID response expert panel under the National Health Commission, said in an interview with state media CCTV published on Saturday (May 6).
China will continue to monitor mutations of the virus, strengthen vaccinations among high risk and key groups, and look to improve COVID treatment capabilities, Mr. Liang said.
China held on to its zero tolerance for COVID long after most countries started to live with the virus, and only began to abandon its restrictive policies in late 2022.
In February China’s top leaders declared a “decisive victory” against COVID and claimed the world’s lowest fatality rate, though experts have questioned Beijing’s data.
Also Read: COVID-19 Is No Longer A Global Health Emergency: WHO
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
