WHO: The new crown outbreak still constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern"

　　China News Service, January 30th, a comprehensive report, the World Health Organization issued a statement on its official website on the 30th, stating that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus believes that the new crown epidemic still constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern."

Data map: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Peng Dawei

　　According to sources, the WHO Emergency Committee made recommendations after its 14th meeting on the new crown epidemic on the 27th.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus agreed with the committee's recommendations on the new crown epidemic, believing that the new crown epidemic still constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern".

　　Tedros also agreed with the committee that the pandemic may be in a transitional phase.

He thanked the Committee for its recommendation that this transition phase should be approached carefully and potential negative impacts mitigated.

　　Earlier, in his opening speech at the meeting on January 27, Tedros said that this week coincides with the third year that the WHO declared the new crown pandemic to constitute a "public health emergency of international concern".

This is the highest level of alert WHO can issue under the International Health Regulations.

　　In his speech, Tan Desai pointed out that as the new crown epidemic enters its fourth year, the current situation has improved compared with a year ago.

At that time, the wave of infections caused by the Omicron mutant strain was at its peak, and more than 70,000 deaths were reported to the WHO every week around the world.

　　But he also stressed that vaccines, testing and treatments are critical to saving lives, preventing serious diseases and reducing the pressure on health systems and medical staff.

　　On January 30, 2020, the WHO announced that the new crown epidemic constituted a "public health emergency of international concern", and on March 11 it announced that the new crown epidemic has the characteristics of a pandemic.

According to the "International Health Regulations", the Director-General of WHO must periodically reconvene the Emergency Committee to review the epidemic situation.