On Friday (05/05), the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the organization’s highest alert title. However, the end of the global emergency does not mean the end of the pandemic.
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
Pandemic: Status Maintained
Data collected by WHO reveals that the disease caused by the new coronavirus is still spreading globally, and it still affects several continents and maintains an outbreak with sustained transmission. In addition, it has a relevant impact on the number of deaths and hospitalizations. For instance, in the last week of April, Covid killed one person every three minutes.
End of the Emergency: Meaning
The end of the emergency means that international collaboration or funding efforts will also end or shift focus, but this is already in course. Thus, in practical terms, the decree is only formal and does not change the situation that much.
Numbers that Lead to Suspension of the Emergency Status
In the last 12 months, the pandemic entered a phase of improvements. Experts indicate the increase in population immunity through vaccination and infections as the main reasons.
Records of cases and deaths from covid-19 are relatively stable since April 2022. In the Americas, the trend of stability is also seen. The last major wave of cases and deaths from covid-19 in the region took place between December 2021 and January 2022. This was related to the spread of the omicron variant. When hospitalizations or the need to place the patient with covid-19 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are analyzed, the scenario of stability is repeated.
