THE Covid pandemic is officially over, the World Health Organisation declared yesterday.
The outbreak, designated a crisis in January 2020, is no longer a global public health emergency, it said.
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In just three years, the virus has killed an estimated 20million but the daily toll has fallen to a few hundred from a peak of 14,000.
The UK, the first nation to roll out a jab and among the first to switch to living with Covid, has had 223,396 deaths, figures show.
WHO general secretary Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday: “With great hope I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency.”
He hailed health workers, scientists and the public for their efforts and sacrifices but said the “moment for celebration” should not overshadow the deep scars left by the pandemic.
He said people died unnecessarily because governments failed to work together.
He added: “We must promise ourselves and our children and grandchildren we’ll never make those mistakes again.
“The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that Covid-19 is nothing to worry about.”
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said last night: “We welcome the news from the WHO.
“Our vaccination programme has delivered more than 146million jabs in England — helping us to live with the virus.”
Swansea University sociologist Dr Simon Williams said WHO’s declaration was to be celebrated but called for better preparation to combat any future pandemic.
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