WHO declares end to COVID global health emergency, days before US

May 05, 2023

Karah Rucker Reporter/Producer

By Karah Rucker (Reporter/Producer), Stacey Chamberlain (Editor/Digital Producer)

Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™

COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency. The World Health Organization announced the official end to the global pandemic on May 5, three years after it was first declared.

“It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news conference from Geneva.

The WHO says the emergency phase is over, but COVID is here to stay. The organization says COVID has changed the world and society after learning lessons from what people in the world have gone through together.

“COVID has changed our world and it has changed us,” Tedros said. “If we all go back to the way we were before COVID-19, we will have failed to learn its lessons and we will have failed future generations.”

Within the past three years, 20 million people around the world have died from the virus.

The U.S. is still under a COVID health emergency. The WHO’s declaration comes days before the U.S. public health emergency will expire on May 11.

The origins of the virus are still heavily disputed across the world and on Capitol Hill.

The global economy is still in a slow recovery from the pandemic. And while the health emergency has seemed like it’s been over for some time, the WHO now says it’s official.

Tags: COVID origins, COVID-19, Economy, Pandemic, World Health Organization

KARAH RUCKER: THE CORONAVIRUS IS NO LONGER A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCING THE OFFICIAL END TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC TODAY – 3 YEARS AFTER IT WAS FIRST DECLARED.

THE WHO SAYS THE EMERGENCY PHASE IS OVER — BUT COVID IS HERE TO STAY.

THE ORGANIZATION SAYS COVID HAS CHANGED OUR WORLD AND HAS CHANGED US — LEARNING LESSONS FROM WHAT THE WORLD HAS GONE THROUGH TOGETHER.

WITHIN THE PAST 3 YEARS – 20 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD HAVE DIED FROM THE VIRUS.

THE U.S. IS STILL UNDER A COVID HEALTH EMERGENCY – BUT IT’S EXPECTED TO END THIS MONTH. THE ORIGINS OF THE VIRUS IS STILL HEAVILY DISPUTED ACROSS THE WORLD AND ON CAPITOL HILL.

THE GLOBAL ECONOMY IS STILL IN A SLOW RECOVERY FROM THE PANDEMIC.

AND WHILE THE HEALTH EMERGENCY HAS MAYBE FELT LIKE IT’S OVER —

NOW IT’S OFFICIAL FROM THE WHO.