The World Health Organization (WHO) hopes that COVID-19 and monkeypox will no longer be public health emergencies worldwide in 2023, when the two diseases have completed their most dangerous phase.
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WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a key lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic was that countries needed to respond quickly to surprise outbreaks.
On COVID-19, he said the number of weekly deaths is now about a fifth of what it was a year ago.
“Last week less than 10,000 people lost their lives. It’s still 10,000 too many and all countries can still do a lot to save lives,” he told a press conference.
“But we have come a long way. We hope that at some point next year we can say that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency,” he added.
“This virus is not going away. It is here to stay and all countries will need to learn how to manage it alongside other respiratory diseases,” he said.
“We will still face many uncertainties and challenges in 2023. In low-income countries, only one in five people have been vaccinated,” continued the head of the UN organization.
Regarding monkeypox, Mr. Tedros pointed out that the global epidemic had taken the world by surprise.
More than 82,000 cases have been reported in 110 countries, but the death rate has remained low, with 65 dead.
“If the current trend continues, we hope that next year we can also declare the end of this health emergency,” he concluded.