WHO emergency declaration call based on virus spread and variants, Dr. Bogoch explains

The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to decide Friday, whether the COVID-19 pandemic still qualifies for an international emergency declaration title— a decision that will involve factoring in how the virus and its variants are impacting countries around the world, says an infectious disease expert.

“They’re not discussing if COVID-19 is still a problem or not. They are discussing whether or not this is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and that of course means that it’s a major event that impacts multiple countries, where you need global co-ordination to get it under control,” Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease specialist, told CTV’s Your Morning Friday.

The WHO first enacted the emergency declaration title for the COVID-19 pandemic on Jan.30, 2020. It has been renewed since then, most recently in July 2022. Now, the organization will decide again whether the title merits renewal, given widespread vaccine access in wealthier nations and the easing of restrictions in most regions globally.

The title is meant to signal to the global community and governments to accelerate research, funding and international public health measures to contain an illness.

At the start of the meeting Friday of the WHO’s Emergency Committee, the body that will make the decision around the declaration, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world is in a “much better position” in the fight against COVID-19 than it was a year ago, when the Omicron subvariant peaked.

But since the beginning of December, deaths due to the disease have risen, with 40,000 deaths reported last week, more than half of which were in China, he said. More than 170,000 deaths have been reported in the last eight weeks, he added.

As well, the global response to COVID-19 also remains “hobbled” because in many countries, vaccines and therapeutics are not widely available, he said.

Surveillance and genetic sequencing has declined, and public trust in tools to fight COVID-19 like vaccines have been undermined “by a continuous torrent of mis- and disinformation,” said Ghebreyesus. It is within this context that the Committee will make its decision. 

Bogoch said along with global spread and variants, the WHO will also look at countries capacity for data sharing and specifically examine China, due to its large population and current COVID-19 outbreak that has ripped through the population after strict health measures were lifted.

It’s important for the public to know, even if the emergency declaration is lifted, “COVID is not going away. It’s going to wax and wane over time,” said Bogoch.

As well, the virus is going to continue to hit vulnerable communities, and steps need to continue to be taken to mitigate the impact, he said.

“That of course is creating a safer indoor environment globally, sharing data globally, surveillance and data to look at emerging variants of concerns, equity for vaccinations, equity for therapeutics— there’s still a lot that needs to be done,” he said.

The unequal distribution of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact the global south. Scientists continue to raise concerns that the West’s failure to aid nations struggling due to the long-reaching impacts of colonialism,for example, will result in more variants emerging.

The work is not over, with or without the emergency designation, he explained.

It also won’t change how Canada is tackling the virus, he said. “Canada is going to stay the course, we have plans and programs in place, and there is room for improvement,” he said.

On Jan. 20, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said at a press conference that regardless of the WHO’s decision, Canada plans to monitor the evolution of the virus over the next year.

“It's still spreading quite a bit all over the world, it is going to undergo mutations,” she said.

The current spread of the nicknamed “Kraken” subvariant, officially titled XBB.1.5, has Canadian officials on alert and encouraging the public to get their bivalent booster shot for protection.

While it’s unknown whether the subvariant will become dominant, “Kraken” has driven cases in the United States, with the CDC estimating the subvariant was making up over 40 per cent of cases, with some estimates reaching 75 per cent in the northeastern U.S., as of mid-January.

Canada's Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo also said,at the Jan 20 press conference,that Canadians need to understand the pandemic has not reached its end and it’s not time to let your guard down.

“We're continuing to state the same messages: Get vaccinated, keep your vaccinations up to date, and we'll see what happens,” said Njoo.

With files from CTVNews.ca Writer Natasha O’Neill and CTV News Producer Kendra Mangione