Health
Global Covid Emergency is Over
The emergency was declared January 2020
The World Health Organisation has declared that the Covid-19 global health emergency is over.
The emergency was declared January 2020, as Covid began to sweep across the world.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: ‘Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I’ve accepted that advice. It’s therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.’
Officials said the virus’ death rate had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on April 24.
The head of the WHO said at least seven million people died in the pandemic. But Dr Tedros said that the true figure was ‘likely’ closer to 20 million.
