COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.

The head of the World Health Organization says the pandemic has been on a downward trend for over a year and that most countries have already gone back to life before COVID-19.

“But this virus is here to stay, still killing and it’s still changing, and the risk remains of new variants emerging that could cause new surges in cases and deaths,” said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The former head of Ontario’s COVID Science Advisory Table also has words of caution.

Dr. Fahad Razak – a frequent guest on Zoomer Radio’s “Fight Back” – told CP24 News that while the end of the declaration is historic, the pandemic continues.

“If we head into a winter season in 2023, that sees a surge of a different variant that is still able to get enough people sick, will we have the collective ability to say we’re going to use masks for a limited amount of time in crowded indoor public settings like subway trains or streetcars,” Razak told CP24. “Would we be able to do that collectively, I worry that we may have this all or nothing response to say that we’re past this and not going to do that anymore.”

There have been recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East with thousands still dying from the virus each week and others suffering from long-term effects.