After one thousand, one hundred and fifty (1150) days After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic, another historic announcement comes: the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus ceased to be considered a global health emergency this Friday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that he had accepted the emergency committee’s recommendation to lower the alert level: “I have great confidence in declaring the end of Covid-19 as a global health emergency.” And he continued: “Yesterday [quinta-feira], I recommended that the Emergency Committee meet for the 15th time and end the global emergency. I accepted that advice.
Since the discovery of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, till now, Covid-19 has already been the cause of death. Of the seven million people worldwide, almost 27 thousand live in Portugal. 1191 days ago, on January 30, 2020, the alarm surrounding Covid-19 was first reported at maximum. March 11 of that year was considered an epidemic.
On that day, Portuguese authorities recorded a total of 59 confirmed infections since March 2, 2020. Now, according to the most recent information from the Directorate of Health (DGS), there are already 5, 6 people. Millions of cases in Portugal have been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, which for a long time was mainly known as the “new coronavirus”. Its spread put the Portuguese population (and millions around the world) under house arrest for various periods until 2022.
REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Schools were closed, streets were deserted and health professionals faced historic trials to attend to thousands of hospitalized cases who rushed to hospitals around the world. In the worst moments of the epidemic, while getting used to new procedures, the country saw hundreds of people die a day due to Covid-19 (many of them already abandoned): the need to wear masks, to carry out rapid diagnostic tests. Isolation should be done before entering restaurants and whenever there is potentially dangerous contact.
Until now, the COVID-19 A considered “A global health emergency“(Highest alert level published by WHO) because it is an unusual event, poses a public health risk to other states through the international spread of the epidemic, and requires a coordinated international response.
But the Emergency Committee on International Health Regulations, in a discussion session this Thursday, COVID-19 Can no longer be considered “An unusual event or Unexpected”, Even taking into account that the virus is constantly evolving and spreading. Therefore, it no longer complies with the parameters to be classified as a global health emergency.
At the press conference, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that the epidemic “is on a downward trend, as population immunity increases due to vaccination and infection, mortality decreases and pressure on health systems decreases.” In one Notice Meanwhile a release by the WHO said the organization considers that “it is time to shift to long-term management of the disease” because “COVID-19 is now an established and persistent health problem”.
REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini
“Perseverance triumphs,” says Pizarro
The Portuguese Health Minister has already responded to the WHO Director General’s announcement. In a note to the media, Manuel Pizarro considered it a “day of supreme symbolism” that “signals the triumph of perseverance over hesitation, of science over the unknown, of unity over selfishness, of community over individuality”.
“In three years, Portuguese society has united around a great challenge: reconciling the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic with the protection of our daily lives”, said Manuel Pizarro after highlighting the Portuguese’s adaptability, vaccination and strong adherence to respect. For health guidelines issued by health authorities.
Thanking health professionals for their “impeccable public service with personal sacrifice”, the Health Minister said there are lessons to be learned to strengthen the National Health Service: “Lessons learnt, knowledge and preservation of knowledge are important now. A spirit of cooperation has been gained during this challenging period,” he underlined.