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MANILA, Philippines鈥擮ver three years since the COVID-19 outbreak was classified as a global health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the disease will no longer be categorized as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
On May 5, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus鈥攈eeding advice offered by the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee鈥攍ifted the PHEIC status for COVID-19.
READ: COVID-19 no longer a global health emergency, says WHO
鈥淔or the past year, the (COVID-19) Emergency Committee and WHO have been analyzing the data carefully and considering when the time would be right to lower the level of alarm,鈥� said Ghebreyesus in a statement.
He said the emergency committee met for a 15th time and recommended that he declare an end to the classification of COVID as a PHEIC. 鈥淚 have accepted that advice,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,鈥� the WHO chief added.
But what does the declaration mean, and how does this impact the pandemic response of countries, like the Philippines?
COVID is not over
While WHO declared COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, Ghebreyesus stressed that the disease鈥檚 global health threat is far from over.
鈥淟ast week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes 鈥� and that鈥檚 just the deaths we know about. As we speak, thousands of people around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units,鈥� he said.
鈥淎nd millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post-COVID-19 condition. This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it鈥檚 still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths,鈥� he continued.
READ: WHO: Covid-19 no longer global health emergency
Data from WHO showed that as of May 3, there are 765,222,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide. Of those, at least 6,921,614 were fatal.
In the Philippines, data recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) showed that as of May 7, there are 4,102,788 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country and 66,453 confirmed deaths.
The decision to lift COVID-19鈥檚 PHEIC status, according to Ghebreyesus, was based on the decreasing trend in COVID-19 deaths, the decline in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions, and the high levels of population immunity to SARS-CoV-2鈥攖he virus that causes COVID-19.
鈥淚 emphasize that this is not a snap decision. It is a decision that has been considered carefully for some time, planned for, and made on the basis of a careful analysis of the data,鈥� the WHO director general said.
GRAPHIC Ed Lustan
鈥淚f need be, I will not hesitate to convene another emergency committee should COVID-19 once again put our world in peril,鈥� he added.
At a meeting last January 27, the IHR Emergency Committee acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic might be at a 鈥渢ransition point鈥� but kept its PHEIC status.
The Committee agreed that the PHEIC was then 鈥渞equired 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.鈥�
READ: WHO revises COVID guidelines: What to know
PHEIC, pandemic: Not the same
The PHEIC status for COVID-19 is over, but the pandemic is still not鈥攚hy?
WHO previously said that in the COVID-19 situation, we are in both PHEIC and a pandemic situation. However, the PHEIC and the term pandemic hold meanings that are very different from each other.
The PHEIC is the highest level of alarm by the WHO under the IHR, which triggers a coordinated international response. As defined by the IHR, a PHEIC is 鈥渁n extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other [countries] through the international spread of disease.鈥�
GRAPHIC Ed Lustan
WHO explained that a PHEIC status implies a situation that is:
- serious, sudden, unusual, or unexpected;
- carries implications for public health beyond the affected State鈥檚 national border; and
- may require immediate international action
鈥淭he idea of declaring a PHEIC鈥� is to coordinate that immediate action before the event becomes even bigger and potentially becomes a pandemic,鈥澛爏aid Maria Van Kherkove, WHO鈥檚 technical lead on COVID-19,聽in a statement.
A pandemic is widely defined as an outbreak of a聽 disease usually caused by a new virus or bacteria鈥攚hich spreads quickly and affects the global population.
GRAPHIC Ed Lustan
鈥淲hile the emergency is over, COVID is not. The virus is evolving, there will be more waves of infection. We need to continue to prevent infections, severe disease, [long COVID], deaths. Sustain momentum in all pillars of the response. Vigilance,鈥� said Kherkove.
鈥淲e may be in a pandemic for quite some time because this virus is here with us to stay鈥攚hich means we have to take measured actions,鈥� she added.
What鈥檚 next?
Following the recent declaration, WHO said the emergency committee members emphasized the uncertainties of the evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus鈥攏oting that it is time to transition to long-term COVID-19 pandemic management.
鈥淭his virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it鈥檚 still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths,鈥� said Ghebreyesus.
鈥淭he worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about,鈥� he said.
GRAPHIC Ed Lustan
鈥淲hat this news means is that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing COVID-19 alongside other infectious disease,鈥� he added.
Ghebreyesus announced that he had decided to use a provision in the IHR to establish a review committee to develop long-term, standing recommendations for countries on how to manage COVID-19 on a continuing basis.
Aside from that, WHO also listed some temporary recommendations, including:
- sustaining countries鈥� national capacity gains and preparing for future events聽to avoid the occurrence of a cycle of panic and neglect
- integrating COVID-19 vaccination into regular immunization programs
- gathering information from various respiratory pathogen surveillance data to allow higher awareness
- preparing for medical countermeasures and imposing national regulatory frameworks to ensure long-term availability and supply
- working with communities and leaders 鈥渙 achieve strong, resilient, and inclusive risk communications and community engagement (RCCE) and infodemic management programmes鈥�
- lifting COVID-19 international travel related health measures鈥攃onsidering results of risk assessments
- supporting research related to COVID-19 to improve vaccines, understand the impact of post COVID-19 condition and the evolution of SARS-CoV-2