On Monday, the World Health Organization celebrated the eleventh summit of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee to assess the ongoing situation of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe.
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The session was celebrated via videoconference, where members and advisors of the Emergency Committee were convened alongside the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was leading the summit. Adhanom opened the session by saying that the world has tools to limit transmission, save lives, and protect health systems, adding that the countries across the globe have been reporting recently the lowest number of deaths in two years.
He said that due to the unpredictable behavior of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and insufficient national responses, the global pandemic context has remained. He took the opportunity to highlight the importance of States Parties using available medical countermeasures and public health and social measures. He said that the updated Strategic Preparedness, Readiness, and Response Plan's recent release gives a possible roadmap on how the international community could end the COVID-19 emergency in 2022 and prepare for future events.
The Office of Legal Counsel (LEG) and the Department of Compliance, Risk Management, and Ethics (CRE) representatives notify the members of their roles and responsibilities. The Ethics Officer provided a general overview of CRE to members and advisors participating in the session. The members and advisers were briefed on its responsibility to inform WHO of any personal, professional, financial, intellectual, or commercial interests that may give rise to a perceived or direct conflict of interest.
The Committee assessed some key points during the session, including the new SARS-CoV-2 variants that emerged over the past two years, the usage and equitable access to antivirals, vaccine protection, and global shifts in the supply and demand for COVID-19 vaccines; and hybrid immunity.
Potential future scenarios for COVID-19 transmission and challenges posed by concurrent health emergencies; and the response actions that Member States take in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.