Covid-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a contagious disease that was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, it rapidly spread across the globe, leading to the COVID-19 pandemic that saw widespread vaccination campaigns, social distancing measures, and travel restrictions.
Since the emergence of Covid-19, over 765 million confirmed cases have been reported globally and 13 billion vaccine doses have been administered. With its ability to spread easily and cause severe respiratory illness, the virus has had a significant impact on public health and the global economy.
According to BBC, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a “global health emergency”. This comes three years after the World Health Organization declared its highest level of alert over the virus. The report cites data from the virus’ death rate which has reduced from a peak of over 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to over 3,500 on 24 April 2023.
While this is great news, it is important to note that the pandemic’s impact has been catastrophic, and at least 7 million people have lost their lives due to the virus, although Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization, believes that the actual figure is closer to 20 million deaths.
