Ifedayo Adetifa, the director general of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, claims that COVID-19 threats continue to exist around the world, particularly among high-risk populations.
According to him, the World Health Organization’s declaration that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern was simply made to help countries transition from managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases to managing it as part of an acute emergency response.
His statement reads: “The declaration that COVID-19 is no longer PHEIC is to enable countries’ transition from acute emergency response to managing COVID-19 as part of integrated healthcare delivery for all infectious diseases. The threat of the virus remains within countries and globally, particularly for high-risk groups. As transmission continues within communities, the risk of new variants emerging and resulting in surges in case numbers and even deaths remains.”
“Nigeria had already de-escalated its COVID-19 response since 2022 in response to local epidemiology, focused on encouraging COVID-19 vaccination, and recommended discretionary use of face masks and other public health safety measures according to personal risk assessments. This continues to be complemented by efforts to leverage the pandemic response (lessons, resources, partnerships, etc.) to improve our national health security through health system strengthening, improving public health emergency management training, laboratory and infrastructural upgrades, and strategic focus on improving emergency preparedness and planning at state and local government levels.”
