WHO says Covid-19 remains a global health emergency, but pandemic is at a 'transition point' - CNN

CNN  — 

Covid-19 remains a planetary wellness emergency, the World Health Organization said connected Monday, but it acknowledged the pandemic is astatine a “transition point.”

WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee discussed the pandemic connected Friday astatine its 14th gathering connected Covid-19, and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concurred that the nationalist wellness exigency of planetary concern, oregon PHEIC, declaration should continue.

In a statement released connected Monday, WHO’s advisory committee said it urged WHO to suggest “alternative mechanisms to support the planetary and nationalist absorption connected COVID-19 aft the PHEIC is terminated.”

“Achieving higher levels of colonisation immunity globally, either done corruption and/or vaccination, whitethorn bounds the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 connected morbidity and mortality, but determination is small uncertainty that this microorganism volition stay a permanently established pathogen successful humans and animals for the foreseeable future. As such, semipermanent nationalist wellness enactment is critically needed,” the committee said successful a connection connected Monday. “While eliminating this microorganism from quality and carnal reservoirs is highly unlikely, mitigation of its devastating interaction connected morbidity and mortality is achievable and should proceed to beryllium a prioritized goal.”

In a database of impermanent recommendations, Tedros said countries should proceed vaccinating radical and incorporated Covid-19 vaccines into regular care; amended illness surveillance; support a beardown wellness attraction strategy to debar a “a panic-neglect cycle”; proceed to combat misinformation; and set planetary question measures based connected hazard assessment.

The enactment declared the coronavirus outbreak to beryllium a PHEIC successful January 2020, astir six weeks earlier characterizing it arsenic a pandemic.

A PHEIC creates an statement betwixt countries to abide by WHO’s recommendations for managing the emergency. Each country, successful turn, declares its ain nationalist wellness exigency – declarations that transportation ineligible weight. Countries usage them to marshal resources and waive rules successful bid to easiness a crisis.

The US besides remains nether its ain nationalist wellness exigency declaration, which US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed astir precocious January 11.

More than 170,000 radical person died from Covid-19 successful the past 8 weeks, Tedros said past week erstwhile helium announced the committee meeting, and adjacent though the satellite is amended equipped to negociate the pandemic than it was 3 years ago, helium remains “very acrophobic by the concern successful galore countries and the rising fig of deaths.”

While planetary Covid-19 deaths are trending upward, the seven-day mean remains importantly little than erstwhile points of the pandemic, according to information from Johns Hopkins University.

Last week, up of the committee meeting, Tedros pleaded with countries not to fto up connected the combat against Covid-19.

“My connection is clear: Do not underestimate this virus,” helium said. “It has and volition proceed to astonishment us, and it volition proceed to termination unless we bash much to get wellness tools to radical that request them and to comprehensively tackle misinformation.”

Also connected Monday, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released 2 caller reports that warned “all countries stay dangerously unprepared for aboriginal outbreaks.”

IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said the Covid-19 pandemic should beryllium “a wake-up call.”

“The adjacent pandemic could beryllium conscionable astir the corner; if the acquisition of COVID-19 won’t quicken our steps toward preparedness, what will?,” helium said successful a quality release.

The reports accidental that overmuch of the Covid-19 crisis’ impacts connected countries, specified arsenic occupation nonaccomplishment and poverty, learning loss, nutrient insecurity and accrued intelligence wellness issues could person been avoided if governments invested successful exigency preparedness. They urge countries hole for simultaneous hazards, specified arsenic illness outbreaks and utmost upwind events.

“We request to commencement preparing now, due to the fact that our satellite is becoming progressively hazardous,” the IFRC’s World Disasters study 2022 said, noting that galore of the disasters are propelled by clime change. “In 2021, 378 disasters were recorded – not including illness outbreaks – which is higher than the 20-year mean of 337 disasters per year. Many countries had to respond to hazards similar hurricanes and floods portion besides dealing with COVID-19.”

The study urges “action astatine the assemblage level” to hole for catastrophe connected the beforehand lines, and to code existing economical and radical inequities truthful that they aren’t exacerbated erstwhile catastrophe strikes.

The IFRC’s Everyone Counts Report 2023 besides emphasizes “local resilience,” by gathering up and investing successful communities’ “public health, sanitation, structure and economical security.”

Ultimately, the study states, “Nobody is harmless until everybody is safe. The pandemic is not implicit and nor is the response.”