2023-05-06 10:43:23
WHO experts considered whether it is still necessary to consider the corona crisis as a so-called International Public Health Emergency (PHEIC) and advised that this is no longer the case. More than three years ago, the UN organization gave that status to the global corona crisis.
Deep scars
In January, according to the WHO, it was still too early to scale down. Then the organization stated that if the emergency status were to be lifted soon, it should be done in a careful and responsible manner. One of the greatest tragedies of Covid-19 is that the consequences could have been much less severe, Tedros said. “We have the tools and the technologies to better prepare for pandemics, detect them earlier, respond faster and mitigate their impact.”
The WHO chief points out that worldwide “a lack of coordination and solidarity” prevented those tools from being used effectively. Tedros sees the abolition as a moment to celebrate, but also for reflection. “Covid-19 has left, and continues to leave, deep scars on our world. Those scars should serve as a permanent reminder of the potential for new viruses to emerge, with devastating consequences.”
Pandemic preparedness
The coronavirus crisis has exposed and exacerbated fault lines within and between nations and eroded trust between people, governments and institutions, Tedros argued. Those developments were fueled by “a deluge of misinformation and disinformation”. The pandemic, Tedros said, has “exposed the searing inequalities of our world, with the poorest and most vulnerable communities hardest hit and the last to access vaccines and other resources.”
The European Commission is happy to be able to look ahead “after 38 months”. “But covid-19 is not over as a global health hazard,” warns responsible European Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. The vaccination of vulnerable people therefore continues, she tweets. Also, the virus must be monitored and the world must prepare for new similar threats. (AP)
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