SNAP ANALYSIS

WHO Director-General lifts "PHEIC" status for COVID-19 

Geneva, 5th May 2023 -Following a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Committee for COVID-19, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has confirmed that COVID-19 will no longer be categorized a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).  

WHO declares a PHEIC when an emergency is “serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected”, with implications for health beyond the affected state’s national borders – and the status helps trigger a set of measures and legally binding obligations that facilitate a coordinated international response. Lack of PHEIC status does not mean COVID-19 is no longer a pandemic: the DG noted that this news does not mean COVID-19 is "over as a global health threat." Several PHEICs have not been related to pandemics, and several sustained epidemics or “pandemics” have not been assigned PHEIC status. Read more about these nuances here. 

The Emergency Committee has met every three months since the PHEIC was declared in early 2020. The lifting of official PHEIC status is a sign of the progress made in the past year, getting most countries to a solid baseline of coverage, including with support from COVAX which has focused efforts on lower-income countries. Global coverage with a primary series (two doses) of COVID-19 vaccine stands at 64% on average, and at 55% on average in the 92 lowest-income countries (compared to 28% at the beginning of 2022). On average, the majority of health care workers and older adults across the world – among those at greatest risk – are protected with two doses, and are starting to receive boosters. The countries furthest behind have made remarkable progress.  

Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which co-leads COVAX – the global initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines – comments on what today’s decision means for the continued fight against COVID-19 and other deadly infectious diseases:  

“After more than three years of this pandemic, the world is ready to move to the next phase. But while today marks a historic milestone, we must also be clear about the need to continue to protect our most vulnerable people, as we do for other deadly but preventable diseases. Around three out of ten older adults in lower-income countries have not yet received two doses, and we know they are among those most likely to become severely ill or die from COVID-19. 

During the pandemic, countries delivered more vaccines than ever before in history. With multiple outbreaks, millions of children missing out on routine vaccinations, and the certainty of future pandemics, the urgent question is – how can we best apply what we have learned to reach more people with lifesaving vaccines than ever before?”  

COVAX has delivered nearly 2 billion doses to 146 countries, and dedicated more than US$ 1.6bn to help countries turn vaccines into vaccinations, and strengthen health systems. For the past year, Gavi and partners have been working to help countries plan for this moment, and ensure an unprecedented global emergency response effort can smoothly transition to a tailored, country-specific effort to deliver COVID-19 vaccines alongside other vital routine services. With a strong foundation of coverage around the world, a plan to integrate COVID-19 vaccine delivery into routine vaccination programs, developed in consultation with countries and partners, will be discussed at the upcoming Gavi Board meeting in June 2023. Most recently, the African Union, Africa CDC, Gavi, WHO, UNICEF, countries and other partners convened a “global stocktake” in Addis Ababa to share thoughts on how best to take this work forward. 

Please feel free to quote. Further questions or interview requests can be sent to media@gavi.org  

.

NOTES TO EDITORS 

• Dr Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a medical doctor specializing in infectious diseases epidemiology and a global health expert. Read more about Dr Berkley here. 

• Gavi leads global procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX, a partnership between Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), WHO and UNICEF aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.  

• COVAX has delivered nearly 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 146 countries around the world, the vast majority of these fully funded doses shipped to lower-income countries supported by the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). In addition, COVAX has provided more than US$1.6 billion to help lower-income countries turn vaccines into vaccinations, integrate COVID-19 into routine immunization, and strengthen health systems.  

• Gavi has been supporting routine immunization and outbreak response in lower-income countries since 2000, introducing more than 560 new vaccines and immunizing more than 1 billion additional unique children, and reaching another nearly 2 billion people through campaigns. This work has helped halve childhood mortality in Gavi-supported countries Find out more about this work here. 

• For expert insights and original content and stories from around the world, visit Gavi’s online digital platform VaccinesWork. 

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 981 million children – and prevented more than 16.2 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. 

Gavi is a co-convener of COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. In its role, Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. 

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here. 

Media Contacts

Meghana Sharafudeen 

+41 79 711 5554 

msharafudeen@gavi.org  

Evan O’Connell 

+33 6 17 57 21 26 

eoconnell@gavi.org