The World Health Organization (WHO) expects that covid-19 and monkeypox will cease to be public health emergencies worldwide in 2023, when the two diseases have completed their most dangerous phase.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a key lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic is that countries must respond quickly to unexpected 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. There are still 10,000 more and all countries can still do a lot to save lives,” he told a news conference.
“A long way”
“But we have come a long way. We hope that sometime 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 have to learn to manage it along with other respiratory diseases,” he said.
“We will still face many uncertainties and challenges in 2023. In low-income countries, only one in five people has been vaccinated,” continued the head of the UN organization.
Regarding monkeypox, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the global epidemic had taken the world by surprise.
More than 82,000 cases have been reported in 110 countries, but the mortality rate has remained low, with 65 deaths.
“If the current trend continues, we hope that next year we can also declare the end of this health emergency,” he concluded.
Source: BFM TV
