FOR the past three years, the world literally came to a halt at the back of a raging COVID-19 pandemic that claimed and infected millions of people. According data, globally, as of 7 May 2023, over 765 million confirmed cases and over 6.9 million deaths had been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
By Michael Gwarisa
Compared to other pandemics that have been experienced in the history of public health, COVID-19 has the least fatalities. For example, HIV and AIDS known as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and related illnesses has killed about 32 million people around the world. The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed at least 50 million people globally during the outbreak of 1918-19.
Back to COVID-19. On January 30, 2020, following the recommendations of the Emergency Committee, the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that the Coronavirus outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
A PHEIC is an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.
It is important to note that a PHEIC is not necessarily an infectious disease (e.g., could be a radio nuclear disaster) and is not necessarily a pandemic e.g., Mpox is a PHEIC but has not been declared a pandemic. A PHEIC is a formal designation by the WHO Director General, and, when it is declared, countries have a legal duty to respond quickly by implementing the Temporary Recommendations issued as part of the declaration.
Speaking during a media and science Café to break down and simplify the end of COVID-19 as a PHEIC, Dr Lincoln Charimari, World Health Organisation (WHO) Zimbabwe COVID-19 Team Lead said the decision to lift the PHEIC regulations on COVID-19 was arrived at after several meetings.
For COVID-19 the First Emergency Committee (EC) Meeting was on 23rd January 2020; the second EC Meeting was on 30th January 2020 and a PHEIC was declared after that; the 15th EC Meeting was on 5th May 2023 and the PHEIC was lifted. For each of these EC meetings, temporary recommendations were issued.
“During the 15th Meeting of the IHR (2005) Emergency Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic held on Thursday 4 May 2023, the WHO Director-General (DG) concurred with the advice offered by the Committee regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The DG determined that COVID-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC),” said Dr Charimari.
Following the 15th IHR Emergency Committee Meeting that resulted the PHEIC being lifted, Seven Temporary Recommendations were issued to advise countries and partners on the way forward regarding the emergency.
“These are guidelines to say let’s advice countries to do this and that. Let’s advice the private sector to this etc. From the 15th EC, there were Seven Temporary measures that were issued and these may guide us to understand what it is that we need to do.”
Temporary Recommendations of 15th EC Meeting on COVID-19
1.Sustain the national capacity gains and prepare for future events Improve country readiness for future outbreaks. Incorporating learnings from national and sub-national After-Action Reviews.
Restore health programs adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Integrate COVID-19 vaccination into life course vaccination programs. Target high-priority groups and continue to actively address vaccine acceptance and demand issues with communities.
3. Bring together information from diverse respiratory pathogen surveillance data sources to allow for a comprehensive situational awareness. States Parties should maintain reporting of mortality and morbidity data as well as variant surveillance information to WHO.
4. Prepare for medical countermeasures to be authorized within national regulatory frameworks to ensure long-term availability and supply. States Parties should strengthen their regulatory authorities to support long-term authorization and use of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
5. Continue to work with communities and their leaders to achieve strong, resilient, and inclusive risk communications and community engagement (RCCE) and infodemic management programs. State Parties should adapt RCCE and infodemic management strategies and interventions to local contexts.
6. Continue to lift COVID-19 international travel related health measures, based on risk assessments, and to not require any proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a prerequisite for international travel.
7. Continue to support research to improve vaccines that reduce transmission and have broad applicability; to understand the full spectrum, incidence and impact of post COVID-19 condition and the evolution of SARS-COV-2 in immune-compromised populations; and to develop relevant integrated care pathways.
Meanwhile, countries were recommended to appropriately adapt these recommendations to local context and capacities.
“For Zimbabwe, it is advised in the Thirteenth Post-Cabinet Press Briefing of 09th May 2023 that: Vaccination activities in all provinces should continue, with support from the Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, and their teams. The mandatory wearing of face masks be lifted as the country adopts the strategy on the long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All border measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 be lifted with immediate effect; and Tourists should no longer be required to produce COVID-19 vaccination certificates at ports of entry or at tourist resorts around the country.”
Does the lifting of a PHEIC mean the end of COVID-19?
According to Dr Charimari, the end of COVID-19 as a PHEIC does not mean the end of COVID-19 that that it no longer constitutes a Public health emergency of international concern.
“For Zimbabwe, I know that there is a Statutory Instrument (SI) inn preparations to formalise the discussions held in cabinet following the PHEIC lifting. However, as individuals, you must consider the risk and probably continue observing COVID-19 prevention measures such as the wearing of face masks and sanitising.
“It depends on the situation. If it’s a crowded place and ventilation is poor and you don’t who you rubbing shoulders with and where they are coming from please just put on your mask. COVID-19 is there, look at the risk and so on. If you are on the bus, if you have a flu, put on a mask. The mandatory wearing mask have been lifted.”
Globally, as of 6:07pm CEST, 31 May 2023, there have been 767,364,883 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,938,353 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 29 May 2023, a total of 13,356,281,548 vaccine doses have been administered.
