Following the WHOs announcement that Covid-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the central government is expected to begin discussing classifying the disease as endemic. 

According to an official in the health ministrys public health division, the diseases trend across the country has remained constant, with no worrisome surge in hospitalizations and deaths. A Covid-19 task force meeting will be organized soon.

On Monday, India registered 1,839 new Covid-19 infections, but current cases fell to 25,178 from 27,212. The case fatality rate was 1.18 percent on Monday, with 15 deaths recorded. The daily positive rate was 1.71 percent, and the recovery rate was more than 98 percent. 

Reports stated that most illnesses were minor, and hospitalizations were few. When Covid-19 was proclaimed a global pandemic in March 2020, the number of cases had increased 13-fold in just two weeks, and the number of afflicted nations had increased thrice.

The WHOs International Health Regulations Emergency Committee concluded Friday that the emergency could be declared over, with case numbers stabilizing, widespread immunity to known variants, scores of vaccines available, weekly deaths worldwide dropping to 3,500 per week, and hospitalizations and ICU admissions declining. 

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus however cautioned that this was only the lowering of the highest level of alert, not a declaration that defenses and safeguards could be removed.

He also emphasized the importance of increased monitoring, timely diagnosis, data reporting, and sharing as lessons learned from early 2020.

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/govt-to-discuss-declaring-covid-endemic-in-india-as-who-says-global-emergency-over/1561717/)