In its final update on the pandemic on Tuesday, the EU’s vaccinations watchdog warned that COVID-19 is still a concern even though it is no longer a public health emergency.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that it was ceasing its regular briefings, which had been closely followed for almost three years for the most recent information on urgently required vaccinations and treatments.
The Amsterdam-based authority, however, declared that it would continue to work on vaccines for emerging strains of the illness, which has claimed millions of lives and wrecked the global economy.
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COVID still a threat?
“This virus is and will remain a threat, especially for the most vulnerable,” EMA’s director of vaccinations Marco Cavaleri warned. The virus, according to him, was “still circulating and new variants are emerging.”
In particular during the winter, public health authorities “would have to keep their guard up,” Cavaleri noted. But he argued that COVID immunisations “saved lives at the end of the day” by keeping people out of hospitals. Emer Cooke, executive director of the EMA, praised her organization’s efforts for “enabling the largest vaccination programme in Europe’s history.” According to estimates, COVID vaccinations helped save up to 20 million lives in just the first year of the pandemic, she claimed.
The COVID epidemic is no longer a worldwide health emergency, according to a May 5 statement from the World Health Organisation. However, health authorities throughout the World are still suggesting people to use precautions.
The chances of the pandemic returning to India are very low mainly because India’s mass vaccination programme which has been a success overall. It is safe to say that India is safe. However, the population and lack of safety precautions still might cause a problem. We will have to wait and see how Indian people’s immunity reacts in any upcoming waves.
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