WHO declares end to COVID-19 global health emergency
The New York Times (5/5, Nolen) reported that on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced “that it was ending the emergency it declared for COVID-19 more than three years ago,” although “WHO officials warned that the decision to lift the emergency does not signal an end to the pandemic, and cautioned countries not take this as reason to dismantle COVID response systems.”
Reuters (5/5, Rigby, Satija) reported that the WHO “said countries should now manage the virus that killed more than 6.9 million people along with other infectious diseases.” According to the story, “the COVID death rate has slowed from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 in the week to April 24, 2023, according to WHO data, reflecting widespread vaccination, availability of better treatments and a level of population immunity from prior infections.”