WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a press conference, in Geneva December 20, 2021 (AFP)

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the organization no longer considers COVID-19 a global health emergency.

"Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice. It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," Ghebreyesus said.

The official, however, noted that the virus still poses a threat to the health of the human population. He also recognized that while COVID-19 remains to circulate and continues to evolve, it will no longer be an unusual event and have the same deadly effect it had over the past few years after the large-scale campaigns of vaccination.

"Almost 7 million deaths have been reported to WHO, but we know the toll is several times higher – at least 20 million."

Currently, according to WHO estimations, 13.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. Although coverage in these priority groups varies by area, 89% of health professionals and 82% of persons over 60 years old now have finished the primary series (the first one or two doses advised according to the vaccine schedule).

Vaccine distribution has been uneven. According to Bloomberg, countries with the highest incomes are getting vaccinated more than 20 times faster than those with the lowest.#COVID19 #vaccine pic.twitter.com/nDc52P7CTa
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 28, 2021