COVID-19 Response | United Nations (original) (raw)

Coronavirus global health emergency

WHO chief declares end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency

5 May 2023 - The head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has declared “with great hope” an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, stressing that it does not mean the disease is no longer a global threat.

For over 12 months, the pandemic “has been on a downward trend,” he said, with immunity increasing due to the highly effective vaccines developed in record time to fight the disease, and infections. Death rates have decreased and the pressure on once overwhelmed health systems, has eased.

“This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19”, Tedros added.

WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with global experts, governments and partners to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this new virus, to track the spread and virulence of the virus, and to provide advice to countries and individuals on measures to protect health and prevent the spread of this outbreak.

WHO’s response in countries

Find out how the WHO is working across its 149 country offices to assist communities all over the world.

What is a Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Find out more about this novel coronavirus (nCoV) that has not been previously identified in humans.

FAQs

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? How can I protect myself? Should I worry about COVID-19? Get the answers.

Verified

Verified is a United Nations initiative to encourage us all to check the advice we share.

Information for UN personnel

The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 outbreak. This page features important advisories, guidelines, resources, and materials on the COVID-19 outbreak for all UN duty stations, offices, personnel and their families, visitors, and UN healthcare workers, as well as advice on maintaining wellness. It is updated with the latest available information.

Explore

How effective are vaccines? History of immunization

Dr. Kate O’Brien, Immunization Director at the World Health Organization, takes us on a historical tour from the development of the first modern vaccine in the late 18th Century, to the new vaccines that are combatting today’s COVID pandemic. The United Nations, and its partners in the COVAX facility, are ensuring that vaccines reach every low-income country in the world.

How can we end COVID? The UN's global vaccine strategy

With large sections of the population unvaccinated, new variants, like Omicron, are likely to keep emerging. These new variants spread like wildfire and put everyone at increased risk. To end this destructive cycle, the UN says we must vaccinate at least 70% of the population in every country. The UN's vaccine strategy is to achieve this goal by mid-2022. This will require at least 11 billion vaccine doses – but the task is doable.

What can we learn from COVID-19?

COVID-19 disrupted supply chains around the world. It tested the resilience of global healthcare systems and exposed weaknesses in public procurement processes. But the pandemic has also provided us an opportunity to learn valuable lessons. Our Insights video series brings you ideas, analysis and solutions to some of the most complex challenges at the heart of the humanitarian and development world.