COVID-19 pandemic

===2023===
{{Hatnote|[[Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023]]}}
On 4 January 2023, the World Health Organization said the information shared by China during the recent surge in infections lacked data, such as hospitalization rates.<ref>{{#invoke:cite web ||title=WHO worried about surge of COVID in China amid lack of info |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-china-covid-19-pandemic-world-organization-2576d9c8c1c1f75b76800edbb476894d |website=AP NEWS |access-date=6 January 2023 |date=4 January 2023}}</ref> On 10 January, the WHO's Europe office said the recent viral surge in China posed "no immediate threat."<ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||title=WHO Europe: no immediate COVID-19 threat from China |url=https://apnews.com/article/health-covid-19-pandemic-china-europe-world-organization-2cead41e96c46b8027c26510bddb0873 |access-date=31 May 2023 |work=AP NEWS |date=10 January 2023 }}</ref> On 16 January, the WHO recommended that China monitor excess mortality to provide "a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of COVID-19."<ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Tétrault-Farber |first1=Gabrielle |last2=Rigby |first2=Jennifer |last3=Farge |first3=Emma |title=WHO recommends that China monitor excess COVID-19 mortality |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/who-recommends-that-china-monitor-excess-covid-19-mortality-2023-01-16/ |access-date=31 May 2023 |work=Reuters |date=16 January 2023 }}</ref>

On 30 January, the three-year anniversary of the original declaration, the World Health Organization determined that COVID-19 still met the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).<ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Lasarte |first1=Diego |last2=Sofia |first2=Lotto Persio |title=China's covid cases loom over upcoming WHO meeting on state of the pandemic |url=https://qz.com/covid-pandemic-public-health-emergency-end-who-1850035035 |access-date=31 May 2023 |work=Quartz |date=26 January 2023 }}</ref>

On 19 March, WHO Director-General Tedros indicated he was "confident" the COVID-19 pandemic would cease to be a public health emergency by the end of the year.<ref>{{#invoke:cite web ||title=COVID-19 pandemic expected to end this year 'as a public health emergency,' says World Health Organization |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/covid-19-pandemic-expected-to-end-this-year-as-a-public-health-emergency-says-world-health-organization/ar-AA18OUdE |website=MSN |access-date=20 March 2023}}</ref> On 5 May, the WHO downgraded COVID-19 from being a global health emergency, though it continued to refer to it as a pandemic.<ref>{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/05/health/covid-who-emergency-end.html|title=W.H.O. Ends Global Health Emergency Designation for Covid|work=[[New York Times]]|first=Stephanie|last=Nolen|date=5 May 2023|accessdate=5 May 2023}}</ref> The WHO does not make official declarations of when pandemics end.<ref name="reuters">{{#invoke:cite web||last=Rigby|first=Jennifer|date=8 May 2023|title=WHO declares end to COVID global health emergency|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-is-no-longer-global-health-emergency-who-2023-05-05/|website=Reuters|access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{#invoke:cite news ||last1=Gregory |first1=Andrew |title=Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, says WHO |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/05/covid-19-no-longer-global-health-emergency-world-health-organization |access-date=9 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=5 May 2023}}</ref> The decision came after Tedros convened with the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, wherein the Committee noted that due to the decrease in deaths and hospitalisations, and the prevalence of vaccinations and the level of general immunity, it was time to remove the emergency designation and "transition to long-term management".<ref name="WHO Statement 5 May 2023">{{#invoke:cite web||url=https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2023-statement-on-the-fifteenth-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-pandemic|title=Statement on the fifteenth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|publisher=[[World Health Organization]]|date=5 May 2023|accessdate=5 May 2023}}</ref> Tedros agreed, and the WHO reduced the classification to an "established and ongoing health issue".<ref name="WHO Statement 5 May 2023"/> In a press conference, Tedros remarked that the diminishing threat from COVID-19 had "allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19".<ref name="npr">{{#invoke:cite web||date=5 May 2023|title=WHO ends global health emergency declaration for COVID-19|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/05/05/1174269442/who-ends-global-health-emergency-declaration-for-covid-19|website=NPR|first1=Giulia|last1=Heyward|first2=Marc|last2=Silver|access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>

In September the WHO said it had observed "concerning" trends in COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalisations, although analysis was hampered because many countries were no longer recording COVID-19 case statistics.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news ||publisher=Al Jazeera |title=WHO sees 'concerning' COVID trends before winter as hospitalisations rise |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/6/who-sees-concerning-covid-trends-before-winter-as-hospitalisations |date=6 September 2023 |access-date=31 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031093332/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/6/who-sees-concerning-covid-trends-before-winter-as-hospitalisations |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2023, in response to viral mutations and changing characteristics of infection, the WHO adjusted its treatment guidelines. Among other changes, remdesivir and molnupiravir were now recommended only for the most severe cases, and [[deuremidevir]] and ivermectin were recommended against.<ref>{{#invoke:cite journal ||journal=BMJ |type=Press release |date=9 November 2023 |title=WHO updates its guidance on treatments for COVID-19 |url=https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/who-updates-its-guidance-on-treatments-for-covid-19/}}</ref>