The WHO Director-General has the pleasure of transmitting the Report of the fifteenth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, held on Thursday 4 May 2023, from 12:00 to 17:00 CET.
According to the report issued by MPO's public relations and international affairs unit citing from WHO website; The WHO
Director-General has the pleasure of transmitting the Report of the fifteenth
meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency
Committee regarding the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, held on
Thursday 4 May 2023, from 12:00 to 17:00 CET.
During the
deliberative session, the Committee members highlighted the decreasing trend in
COVID-19 deaths, the decline in COVID-19 related hospitalizations and
intensive care unit admissions, and the high levels of population immunity to
SARS-CoV-2. The Committee’s position has been evolving over the last several
months. While acknowledging the remaining uncertainties posted
by potential evolution of SARS-CoV-2, they advised that it is time to
transition to long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
WHO Director-General concurs with the advice offered by the Committee regarding
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He determines that COVID-19 is now an
established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public
health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
The WHO
Director-General considered the advice provided by the Committee regarding the proposed
Temporary Recommendations and issued them as per the below statement. The WHO
Director-General will convene an IHR Review Committee
to advise on Standing Recommendations for the long-term management of the
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, taking into account the 2023-2025 COVID-19 Strategic
Preparedness and Response Plan. During this transition, States
Parties are advised to continue following the issued Temporary Recommendations.
The Director-General expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chair, the Members,
and the Advisors of the Committee for their engagement and advice during the
last three years.
Proceedings of the meeting
The WHO
Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, welcomed Members and
Advisors of the Emergency Committee, who were convened by videoconference. He
noted that the number of weekly reported deaths and hospitalizations continue
to decrease, but expressed concern that surveillance reporting to WHO has
declined significantly, that there continues to be inequitable access to
life-saving interventions, and that pandemic fatigue continues to grow. The Director-General
announced the publication of the 2023-2025 COVID-19 Strategic
Preparedness and Response Plan which is designed to guide countries
in transitioning to long-term management of COVID-19. This plan outlines
important actions for countries to consider for five areas: collaborative
surveillance, community protection, safe and scalable care, access to
countermeasures, and emergency coordination. The Director-General thanked
Professor Houssin for his leadership in guiding the Committee over the last
three years and each of the Committee Members and Advisors for their expertise,
dedication, and commitment.
The Office
of Legal Counsel’s representative briefed the Committee Members and Advisors on
their roles, responsibilities, and mandate under the relevant articles of the
IHR. The Ethics Officer from the Department of Compliance, Risk Management, and
Ethics reminded Members and Advisers of their duty of confidentiality as to the
meeting discussions and the work of the Committee, as well as their individual
responsibility to disclose to WHO in a timely manner any interests of a
personal, professional, financial, intellectual, or commercial nature that may
give rise to a perceived or direct conflict of interest. No conflicts of
interest for the attending Members and Advisors were identified.
The Chair of
the Emergency Committee, Professor Didier Houssin, introduced the objectives of
the meeting: to provide views to the WHO Director-General on whether the
COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a PHEIC and to review Temporary
Recommendations to States Parties.
While the
global risk assessment remains high, there is evidence of reducing risks to
human health driven mainly by high population-level immunity from infection,
vaccination, or both; consistent virulence of currently circulating SARS-CoV-2
Omicron sub-lineages compared to previously circulating Omicron sub-lineages;
and improved clinical case management. These factors have contributed to a
significant global decline in the weekly number of COVID-19 related deaths,
hospitalizations, and admissions to intensive care units since the beginning of
the pandemic. While SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, the currently circulating
variants do not appear to be associated with increased severity.
WHO provided
updates on the status of global vaccination and considerations of implications
for the potential termination of a PHEIC. The Committee was informed that,
globally, 13.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.
Currently, 89% of health workers and 82% of adults over 60 years have completed
the primary series (the initial one or two doses recommended as per the vaccine
schedule), although coverage in these priority groups varies in different
regions.
As requested
by the Committee, the WHO Secretariat provided overviews of the status of
integration of COVID-19 surveillance into the Global Influenza Surveillance and
Response System and opportunities to streamline this; the process for issuing
Standing Recommendations under the IHR; and the potential regulatory
implications for Emergency Use Listed (EUL) when a PHEIC is terminated. As the
Director-General will continue to authorize the use of EUL procedure, the termination
of the PHEIC should not affect access to vaccines and diagnostics that have
already received an EUL. States Parties will still be able to access these
vaccines and diagnostics (provided the manufacturers continue production).
COVAX will also continue to provide funded doses and delivery support
throughout 2023 in line with demand. This continuity can enable a smooth
transition from EUL to prequalification of vaccines and diagnostics. As the
large majority of therapeutics used to treat COVID-19 are repurposed medicines
already licensed for other indications, the termination of a PHEIC should not
affect their regulatory status.
Deliberative Session on the Status of the PHEIC
The
Committee considered the three criteria of a PHEIC: whether COVID-19 continues
to constitute 1) an extraordinary event, 2) a public health risk to other
States through the international spread, and 3) potentially requires a
coordinated international response. They discussed the current status of the
COVID-19 pandemic. They acknowledged that, although SARS-CoV-2 has been and
will continue circulating widely and evolving, it is no longer an unusual or
unexpected event. The Committee recognized that the Director-General may decide
to convene an IHR Emergency Committee on COVID-19 in the future if the
situation requires.
The COVID-19
PHEIC has prompted countries to enhance their functional capacities,
particularly related to emergency coordination, collaborative surveillance,
clinical care, and risk communications and communication engagement. The world
has made significant and impressive global progress since the declaration of
the PHEIC in January 2020. Reaching the point where COVID-19 can be considered
as no longer constituting a PHEIC should be seen as accolade to international
coordination and commitment to global health.
As it has
during past meetings, the Committee deliberated the potential benefits and
issues posed by maintaining the PHEIC. While the PHEIC has been a valuable
instrument to support the global response to COVID-19, the Committee agreed
that the time is right to move towards the long-term management of SARS-CoV-2
as an ongoing health issue.
Moving
forward, the Committee suggested that the Director-General consider convening
an IHR Review Committee to advise on Standing Recommendations to for long-term
risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 taking into account the 2023-2025 COVID-19 Strategic
Preparedness and Response Plan. At the same time, the Committee
recognized that Member States are currently negotiating the Pandemic
Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Accord, discussing amendments to the
IHR, and considering the ten proposals to build a safer world together by
strengthening the Global Architecture for Health Emergency Preparedness,
Response, and Resilience (HEPR).
They thanked
the WHO Secretariat and States Parties for their sustained commitment and
technical expertise, and emphasized that this is not the time to stop work or
dismantle systems. The Committee stressed that it will be critical to address
the gaps recognised during the pandemic. They highlighted the need to
strengthen health systems, continue active risk communications and community
engagement, implement a One Health approach to preparedness and response, and
integrate COVID-19 surveillance and response activities into routine health
programmes. The Committee advocated that WHO, partners, and States Parties
dedicate sustained attention and resources to preparedness and resilience for
emerging threats.
===
Temporary Recommendations issued by the WHO
Director-General to all States Parties
1.
Sustain the national capacity gains and prepare for future events to
avoid the occurrence of a cycle of panic and neglect. States Parties should
consider how to improve country readiness for future outbreaks. In alignment
with WHO guidance, States Parties should update respiratory pathogen pandemic
preparedness plans incorporating learnings from national and sub-national After
Action Reviews. States Parties should continue to restore health programmes
adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2.
Integrate COVID-19 vaccination into life course vaccination programmes. States
Parties should maintain efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage for
all people in the high-priority groups (as defined by the SAGE Roadmap of April
2023) with WHO recommended vaccines 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. Surveillance should incorporate
information from an appropriate mix of representative sentinel populations,
event-based surveillance, human wastewater surveillance, sero-surveillance, and
surveillance of selected animal populations known to be at risk of SARS-COV-2.
States Parties should leverage the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response
System (GISRS) and support the establishment of the WHO Global Coronavirus
Laboratory Network (CoViNet).
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 programmes. 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
immunocompromised populations; and to develop relevant integrated care
pathways.
Source: WHO Website