Approximately three years and three months have passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) decreed the alert and this Friday, May 5, has ended it.
This alert has left 765 million diagnoses and 6.9 million deaths, according to the official count, figures that have fallen short according to several estimates.
Why was the end of the emergency decreed until now?
Didier Houssin, chairman of the emergency committee that has advised WHO on the alarm replied: “It is true that the virus continues to circulate. It is true that there are many uncertainties about its evolution. It is true that there are still gaps in surveillance, especially in the most vulnerable countries. But the situation has improved considerably, with less mortality and more immunity, either induced by vaccines or by natural infections. It’s time to change tools. [Emergency] is to generate mobilization and reaction, but it should not be abused, because it does not adapt to events that become chronic, such as covid.”
For more information on global health issues go to: www.who.int/es
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