WHO Followed by Biden Saying "The Pandemic is Over"... Experts Have Diverging Opinions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] As the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) mentioned that "the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight," U.S. President Joe Biden also stated, "The pandemic is over," drawing attention. Domestic quarantine experts have differing opinions on the end of the pandemic.

On the 19th (local time), President Biden said on CBS's '60 Minutes' program, "There are still problems with COVID-19 and much work remains, but the pandemic is over." He added, "No one is wearing masks, and everyone seems to be in good condition," explaining, "It seems the situation is changing." This appears to be an extension of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's mention of the 'end of the pandemic' on the 14th. According to WHO, COVID-19 related deaths in the past week have reached the lowest level since March 2020.

Following this trend, discussions about restoring daily life, such as lifting indoor mask mandates, have begun domestically as well. However, responses from quarantine experts are mixed. First, there is an argument that it is difficult for a resurgence surpassing previous outbreaks to occur, and that preparations for daily life should be made proactively. Professor Baek Soon-young, Emeritus Professor at the Catholic University Medical School, said, "This outbreak was a process toward endemicity (periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases)," adding, "We are no longer at a stage where the outbreak can be controlled by masks and social distancing, but rather it is a matter of how to manage it when it occurs like the flu." Professor Baek emphasized, "Even if a resurgence occurs, its scale will be smaller than now," and "We need to try proactively."

While preparations to return to daily life, such as lifting indoor mask mandates, are necessary, there are opinions that certain prerequisites or restrictions exist. Professor Chun Eun-mi of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Mokdong Hospital explained, "Rather than the pandemic being over, it means that we have reached a level where we can control it and are ready to return to daily life," adding, "The fact that deaths have decreased overseas even as many people have removed masks means that natural and vaccine immunity has been widely acquired." However, Professor Chun set a condition, saying, "Before removing masks, the medical system must fully return to pre-COVID-19 conditions so that patients with fever can receive all general medical care."

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University Medical School said on the previous day’s CBS radio program 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' regarding the WHO Director-General's remarks, "The tunnel of this outbreak was long and stagnant, but the most difficult hurdle has passed," and added, "Because there have been many side effects on children's education and development, masks should be lifted gradually starting with infants and young children." However, Professor Jung also stated that continuing mask-wearing obligations in medical institutions and public transportation would be helpful.

There are also criticisms that the current situation cannot be considered the end of the pandemic and that lifting mask mandates is premature. Professor Kim Woo-joo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital evaluated, "The WHO, which designated COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, has not declared its end, so it cannot be considered that the pandemic is over." Professor Kim acknowledged that there have been many advances from pandemic to endemic, but pointed out, "If variant viruses such as BA.4.6 continue to emerge, the pandemic is not over," and criticized, "Removing indoor masks cannot be seen as scientific quarantine pursued by the government in the current situation of a flu twin-demic and many severe cases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.