WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency

By MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency. The announcement on Friday marks a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. WHO said that the pandemic hasn’t come to an end despite the emergency phase being over. The U.N. health agency noted recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. WHO says that thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week.