London, July 13 / BNA / The World Health Organization said, on Tuesday, that Covid-19 is still a global emergency, two and a half years after it was first declared.
The emergency committee, made up of independent experts, said in a statement that the increasing cases, continuous viral development and pressure on health services in a number of countries means that the situation remains an emergency.
The commission’s statement said cases reported to the WHO had risen by 30% in the past two weeks, although the population’s increased immunity, largely from vaccines, had seen a “decoupling” of hospitalizations and deaths.
“Covid-19 is not near its end,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a virtual press conference from Geneva after the announcement. “As the virus pushes us on, we must back off.”
The United Nations health agency first declared the highest level of alert, known as a public health emergency of international concern, for COVID-19 on January 30, 2020. This decision could help accelerate research, funding and international public health measures to contain the disease.
MI