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Bills rout 49ers Cyber Monday US lake-effect snow AP Top 25 Kash Patel AP SETS THE STANDARD FOR POLITICAL REPORTING. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT, FACT-BASED JOURNALISM. DONATE WHO DOWNGRADES COVID PANDEMIC, SAYS IT’S NO LONGER EMERGENCY WHO DOWNGRADES COVID PANDEMIC, SAYS IT’S NO LONGER EMERGENCY 0 seconds of 1 minute, 6 secondsVolume 90% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 0.5x1x1.25x1.5x2x facebook linkedin Email reddit Linkhttps://apnews.com/9752cdaaf00e4b0aafde84578e97c3d8 Copied Auto360p1080p720p540p360p270p180p Live 00:00 01:06 01:06 1 of 8 | The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. (May 5) Read More 2 of 8 | FILE - A worker wearing a protective suit swabs a man’s throat for a COVID-19 test at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, on June 22, 2022. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Read More 3 of 8 | FILE - Javier Anto, 90, reacts in front of his wife Carmen Panzano, 92, through the window separating the nursing home from the street in Barcelona, Spain, on April 21, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) Read More 4 of 8 | FILE - People check their rapid COVID-19 test results outside of a testing site on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, on Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File) Read More 5 of 8 | FILE - Pallbearers wait for coffins to arrive at a state burial of government ministers who died of COVID-19 in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Jan. 21, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File) Read More 6 of 8 | FILE - Medical staff attend to a patient in the COVID-19 section of the University Clinical Centre hospital in Banja Luka, Bosnia, on Nov. 4, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo, File) Read More 7 of 8 | FILE - Visitors in yukatas or Japanese traditional summer kimonos wear protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as they draw a fortune-telling paper strip at the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district, on Sept. 20, 2021 in Tokyo. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) Read More 8 of 8 | FILE - A medical worker prepares to transport the body of a COVID-19 victim at a hospital in Kakhovka, Ukraine, on Oct. 29, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) Read More WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency Read More 1 of 8 The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. (May 5) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 2 of 8 | FILE - A worker wearing a protective suit swabs a man’s throat for a COVID-19 test at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, on June 22, 2022. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Read More 2 of 8 FILE - A worker wearing a protective suit swabs a man’s throat for a COVID-19 test at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, on June 22, 2022. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 3 of 8 | FILE - Javier Anto, 90, reacts in front of his wife Carmen Panzano, 92, through the window separating the nursing home from the street in Barcelona, Spain, on April 21, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) Read More 3 of 8 FILE - Javier Anto, 90, reacts in front of his wife Carmen Panzano, 92, through the window separating the nursing home from the street in Barcelona, Spain, on April 21, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 4 of 8 | FILE - People check their rapid COVID-19 test results outside of a testing site on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, on Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File) Read More 4 of 8 FILE - People check their rapid COVID-19 test results outside of a testing site on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, on Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 5 of 8 | FILE - Pallbearers wait for coffins to arrive at a state burial of government ministers who died of COVID-19 in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Jan. 21, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File) Read More 5 of 8 FILE - Pallbearers wait for coffins to arrive at a state burial of government ministers who died of COVID-19 in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Jan. 21, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 6 of 8 | FILE - Medical staff attend to a patient in the COVID-19 section of the University Clinical Centre hospital in Banja Luka, Bosnia, on Nov. 4, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo, File) Read More 6 of 8 FILE - Medical staff attend to a patient in the COVID-19 section of the University Clinical Centre hospital in Banja Luka, Bosnia, on Nov. 4, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 7 of 8 | FILE - Visitors in yukatas or Japanese traditional summer kimonos wear protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as they draw a fortune-telling paper strip at the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district, on Sept. 20, 2021 in Tokyo. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) Read More 7 of 8 FILE - Visitors in yukatas or Japanese traditional summer kimonos wear protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as they draw a fortune-telling paper strip at the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district, on Sept. 20, 2021 in Tokyo. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More 8 of 8 | FILE - A medical worker prepares to transport the body of a COVID-19 victim at a hospital in Kakhovka, Ukraine, on Oct. 29, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) Read More 8 of 8 FILE - A medical worker prepares to transport the body of a COVID-19 victim at a hospital in Kakhovka, Ukraine, on Oct. 29, 2021. The World Health Organization said Friday May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print Read More By Maria Cheng and JAMEY KEATEN Published [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Published 11:26 AM PST, May 5, 2023 Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * X * Reddit * LinkedIn * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. The announcement, made more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe. The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects. “It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,” he said, warning that new variants could yet emerge. Tedros noted that while the official COVID-19 death toll was 7 million, the real figure was estimated to be at least 20 million. Related Stories Tuberculosis infected 8 million people last year, the most WHO has ever tracked Mpox cases in Congo may be stabilizing. Experts say more vaccines are needed to stamp out virus Rwanda says no community transmission of Marburg virus, with zero new infections in recent days Tedros said the pandemic had been on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries have already returned to life before COVID-19. He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done to the global community, saying the pandemic had shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, led to the spread of misinformation and plunged millions into poverty. The political fallout in some countries was swift and unforgiving. Some pundits say missteps by President Donald Trump in his administration’s response to the pandemic had a role in his losing reelection bid in 2020. The United States saw the deadliest outbreak anywhere in the world — where more than 1 million people died across the country. Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to negotiate a wide-ranging pandemic treaty to decide how future health threats should be faced. Ryan said that some of the scenes witnessed during COVID-19, when people resorted to “bartering for oxygen canisters,” fought to get into emergency rooms and died in parking lots because they couldn’t get treated, must never be repeated. When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadn’t yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China. More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine. In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped most of their provisions against the pandemic last year. When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus’ potential to spread in countries with weak health systems. In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total. WHO doesn’t “declare” pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already underway. WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the world’s response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded. In January 2020, WHO publicly applauded China for its supposed speedy and transparent response, even though recordings of private meetings obtained by The Associated Press showed top officials were frustrated at the country’s lack of cooperation. WHO also recommended against mask-wearing for the public for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives. Numerous scientists also slammed WHO’s reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agency’s lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure. Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure” by failing to share shots with poor countries. Most recently, WHO has struggled to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, a challenging scientific endeavour that has also become politically fraught. After a weeks-long visit to China, WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that COVID-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as “extremely unlikely.” But the U.N. agency backtracked the following year, saying “key pieces of data” were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that COVID-19 might have ties to a lab. Mark Woolhouse, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Edinburgh, described COVID-19 as a “once-in-a-lifetime disaster” and said that broad immunity against the virus meant we were now in a new phase of the outbreak. Woolhouse noted there had also been significant criticism of WHO’s pandemic response, in addition to those of its member countries and others. He lamented that the global community missed numerous chances to stop the coronavirus earlier, in addition to causing much “self-inflicted harm” by shutting down much of society. “Given the ever-present threat of another pandemic, lessons need to be learned,” he said. ___ Maria Cheng reported from London. JAMEY KEATEN Keaten is the chief Associated Press reporter in Geneva. 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She's taking on more official duties even as her future in the imperial family remains in doubt.AP News Undo Unlock New Opportunities with Affordable Courses – Quality Education Without Breaking the Bank!Access quality education at an affordable price. Explore a range of courses designed to fit your budget.Advertisement: toptipfinance Learn More Undo Kickstart Your Career in Email Marketing: Discover Jobs That Combine Strategy and CreativityStep into the world of email marketing and unlock your potential in a thriving digital field. Explore job opportunities that allow you to leverage your creativity and strategic thinking to drive results. Start your journey today!Advertisement: Toptip Learn More Undo Notre Dame Cathedral unveils its new interior 5 years after devastating fireAfter more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral has showed its new self to the world Friday.AP News Undo Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the tableCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he had an “excellent conversation” with Donald Trump in Florida after Trump's threat to impose significant tariffs raised alarms.AP News Undo Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets engaged to Hailee SteinfeldBuffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actor Hailee Steinfeld are engaged. The couple posted a photo to their Instagram followers on Friday of Allen on one knee proposing marriage.AP News Undo Karaban goes to hospital with head injury after No. 2 UConn's loss to Dayton in Maui InvitationalUConn forward Alex Karaban was taken to a hospital with a head injury after the No. 2 Huskies’ 85-67 loss to Dayton in the seventh-place game of the Maui Invitational.AP News Undo Magic can't save 'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint from a $2.3 million tax billFormer “Harry Potter” film actor Rupert Grint faces a 1.8 million-pound ($2.3 million) bill after he lost a legal battle with the tax authorities.AP News Undo Breakthrough Energy Tech That’s Changing IndustriesHawk Point Media :Advertisement:Advertisement Undo TWAS is coming soon to your cityCirque du Soleil :Advertisement:Advertisement Undo Sherry's 16 lead Elon past Pennsylvania 68-53Led by Sam Sherry's 16 points, the Elon Phoenix defeated the Pennsylvania Quakers 68-53. 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