The U.S. will end the national emergency over Covid in May but the World Health Organization has decided that Covid still constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern.” The committee voted last Friday on whether or not to end the international emergency but decided it is just not time yet.
Although the WHO admits that Covid is at a “transition point,” the committee is not ready to end the emergency declaration and the head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros, conceded to the advice of the committee.
According to the WHO statement, the committee “recognized that pandemic fatigue and reduced public perception of risk have led to drastically reduced use of public health and social measures, such as masks and social distancing.” But the committee decided that a continued state of emergency “is required to maintain global attention to COVID-19, the potential negative consequences that could arise if the PHEIC was terminated, and how to transition in a safe manner.”
