Cav's Place

I’m going to completely ignore what’s supposedly the day’s event on the international stage, but I’m going to point out a piece of news from yesterday that seems to have received less attention than it should have, which is the fact that, shortly after releasing an updated COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, which should cover the next two years, the World Health Organization has apparently decided that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, now being “an established and ongoing health issue”, even if “the global risk assessment remains high”. However, it was also pointed out that tracking and reporting has declined significantly and access to treatments and vaccines remains inequitable, and it’s certain that such a decision will drastically worsen those problems.
Sure, the WHO made a set of “temporary recommendations” that include sustaining the national capacity gains and preparing for future events, to break out of the cycle of panic and neglect, integrating COVID-19 vaccination into regular vaccination programmes, continuing to gather and report data, bringing together information about multiple health threats from varied sources, preparing regulatory frameworks to support the authorization of medical countermeasures, to ensure long-term availability and supply, and continuing research. But the far more likely outcome is that the announcement will offer an excuse for those who can’t wait to sweep any lessons and potential positive developments from these past three years under the carpet and get back to that cycle of neglect and panic that was mentioned… Though I’m still certain that the developments that make things even worse for almost everyone except the particularly rich and powerful will be maintained and built upon, as always.