On January 30, 2020, it was the eagerly awaited news: The World Health Organization (WHO) imposed an international health emergency in view of the rapidly increasing coronavirus infections in China.
The official declaration of the "health emergency of international concern" was the official indication that the coronavirus should not remain a regional problem - it would cost the lives of millions of people and damage many of their health in the long term.
This Thursday, more than two years later, an independent committee of experts is discussing in Geneva whether the declaration of this highest WHO alarm level is still justified.
Kim Maurus
Volunteer.
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What is the significance of the “international health emergency”?
First and foremost, the imposition of the international health emergency is a symbolic act. The declaration must be preceded by a situation which, according to the WHO, represents “a public health risk for other countries due to the international spread of the disease”. The situation must, by definition, be “serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected” and possibly require “immediate international action”. As long as the state of emergency applies, the more than 190 member states of the WHO are urged to prevent the virus from spreading across national borders. But this is not mandatory. Rather, the purpose of declaring a health emergency is to make governments aware of the dangers of the virus and to encourage them to cooperate.Should the “health emergency of international scope” no longer apply, this would have no concrete effects in practice. However, in view of the current global infection situation, ending the health emergency would seem very strange and play down. And thereby also counteract the efforts of governments, doctors, hospital staff and the population around the world.
In view of the current pandemic, does the possible lifting of the health emergency even make sense?
In view of the rapid spread of the omicron variant, there can be no talk of a quick end to the pandemic. According to data from the Johns Hopkins University, the number of cases worldwide has risen sharply since the end of last year. While around 4.35 million cases were reported weekly at the beginning of December 2021, the number in the first week of January was 9.97 million, more than twice as many. Germany reported a new high on Thursday with 81,417 newly infected people. In other countries such as Austria, Israel and Australia there have been new negative records for the number of cases in the past few days. In the USA, which has the highest number of infections and deaths worldwide, around 146,000 patients were treated in the hospital at the beginning of the week, 24,000 of whom were in the intensive care unit - more than ever before.In view of the reports of predominantly "mild" courses of infections with the Omicron variant, according to WHO Corona expert Marie van Kerkhove, there is hope: the virus is on its way to becoming endemic, she said on Wednesday evening in Geneva. Endemic means that a disease only occurs in individual regions. But: "We are not ready yet."
What effects does the WHO classification of the corona situation have on Germany?
Until the autumn of last year, the "epidemic situation of national scope" applied in Germany. It made it possible for the federal and state governments to issue ordinances to contain the virus and to temporarily restrict citizens' rights without parliaments having to agree. Among other things, this determination is only possible if the WHO has declared a “health emergency of international concern”. However, the current Corona measures in Germany are no longer based on the "epidemic situation of national scope"; the Bundestag did not extend the Corona emergency in November 2021 any further. Instead, the Bundestag changed the Infection Protection Act, or more precisely, the requirements for the Act and some of the measures derived from it to be applied.For example, it now allows the countries to impose individual measures such as the 2-G rules even without the declared corona emergency. Exceptions are measures that massively restrict fundamental rights, such as exit restrictions.
Who exactly will decide on the classification on Thursday?
The independent committee consists of around 20 representatives from different countries, plus around a dozen advisors.
The WHO lists all members and advisors on its website.
These include experts from epidemiology, virology and vaccine development, as well as representatives from politics and specialized agencies of the United Nations.
The WHO Director General, currently Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, selects the members based on their expertise and their "greatest possible geographical representation".
According to the WHO, the committee meets at regular intervals.
After the deliberations have ended this Thursday, he will make a recommendation, which the WHO generally follows.