COVID-19 remains PHEIC for Now, says WHO

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

February 6, 2023 – COVID-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) but that may change in the near future according to the World Health Organization (WHO) which met on Friday to discuss the listing.  A PHEIC is the highest listing given to outbreaks of disease by the International body.  The decision was adopted at the most recent International Health Regulations Emergency Committee.

Director General Dr. Tedros GHEBREYESUS said he agreed with the committee’s assessment that the COVID-19 pandemic is probably at a transition point during a post-meeting briefing.

There were several concerns by the emergency committee which prompted them to keep the emergency listing including:

• Insufficient vaccine uptake in low- and middle-income countries;
• The uncertainty associated with emerging variants;
• Pandemic fatigue and reduced public perception of risk led to drastically reduced use of public health and social measures.

The post-COVID effects on the body as well as the condition and the high risk of heart disease post-infection are also major concerns that the WHO says will likely have a serious negative ongoing impact.

The WHO is warning countries that they have to continue to take temporary measures to maintain COVID safety even as the disease becomes prevalent. Those measures include incorporating COVID-19 vaccines into regular primary care regimens; increasing uptake and ensuring long-term availability of medical countermeasures, as well as maintaining strong national response capacity and preparing for future events to avoid the occurrence of a panic-neglect cycle among other steps.