COVID-19 pandemic 'is probably at a transition point,' WHO says - ABC News

The agency said its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met on Friday to analyze data on the state of the pandemic.

According to a transcript of Tedros' speech at the meeting provided by the WHO, he said there is still a high risk of COVID-19 global transmission, which means the virus is still classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press briefing on COVID-19, at the WHO headquarters, March 2, 2020, in Geneva.

"But the global response remains hobbled because in too many countries, these powerful, life-saving tools are still not getting to the populations that need them most – especially older people and health workers."

Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, said the WHO's comments show that the agency recognizes the public health emergency is winding down but that the virus's threat remains.

During the WHO meeting, Tedros urged groups at higher risk of severe disease and death -- including those who are immunocompromised and elderly -- to be fully vaccinated and boosted.