It is "with great hope that I no longer declare Covid-19 as a global health emergency," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organisation, told reporters.
The move came after WHO's independent emergency committee on the Covid crisis decided that the crisis no longer merited the organization's highest alert level and "advised that it is time to move to long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic".
But the danger has not yet passed, Tedros said, estimating that Covid has killed "at least 20 million" people - about three times the nearly seven million deaths officially recorded.
"This virus is here to stay. It keeps killing and it keeps changing," he said.
Last week alone, "Covid-19 claimed a life every three minutes", Tedros said, "and those are just the deaths we know about." "The emergency phase is over, but Covid is not," said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical officer for Covid-19.
( Note : So if we count correctly, 480 people would still die every day, worldwide, because of ... Covid ? Or 175,200 per year ? Seriously ? )
Following the WHO's lifting of the health crisis, the Belgian federal government also immediately lifted the last measure ( abolition of the isolation requirement in case of a positive test ).
Marc Van Ranst wouldn't be Marc Van Ranst if he didn't quickly grab some media attention by declaring that people still can die. As is the case with the flu.
And he did not stop there. To enhance the fears, Van Ranst also hinted that another pandemic is coming. " The question is not if, but when " he said.
"The WHO and its member states have now started discussions on an international treaty or something similar to learn from the mistakes made and ensure that the world responds more effectively and equitably to the next one."
On the WHO's lifting of the global health crisis, the Flemish press did not make a headliner though.
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