WHO Ends COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Designation

The COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.  WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee met Thursday, May 4, to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and, after the meeting, advised WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, MD, that it is “time to transition to long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Moving forward, Ghebreyesus will convene an IHR Review Committee to advise on standing recommendations for the long-term management of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, considering the 2023-25 COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. During this transition, WHO advised states parties to continue following the issued temporary recommendations.

In the United States, the COVID-19 public health emergency is scheduled to end Thursday, May 11.