COVID-19 No Longer Public Health Emergency – WHO

The Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus has declared COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

He made the declaration on Friday after a review of current evidence that shows there is high population-level immunity from the SARS-CoV-2 infection, improved knowledge of the virus and management of confirmed COVID-19 cases, a decline in the global burden of the virus, and also a steady increase in vaccine uptake across countries.

Following the declaration, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) issued a statement on Sunday disclosing that Nigeria had already de-escalated its COVID-19 response since 2022 in response to local epidemiology, focused on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination and recommended discretionary use of face masks and other public health safety measures according to personal risk assessments.

The NCDC says it will introduce wastewater/environmental surveillance to track not just SARS-CoV-2 but antimicrobial resistance, Mpox, and typhoid (salmonella).

“As part of its integrated disease surveillance strategy, the NCDC continues to encourage routine COVID-19 testing along with other infectious diseases as may be indicated in healthcare settings as part of clinical care, for pandemic flu preparedness, as part of bi-directional testing during investigations for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and in high-risk populations” the statement reads.