WHO: COVID-19 deaths at lowest level globally

Editor's Note 

According to the leader of the World Health Organization (WHO), the end of the COVID-19 pandemic may be near, as deaths are at their lowest level worldwide since the pandemic first began, US News & World Report September 15 reports. During the week of September 5 through September 11, some 11,000 people died from COVID-19 globally, dropping 22% from the previous week, WHO reported.

Although the death rate is relatively flat, it is not yet at its lowest level in the US. Average deaths per day in the US is 478, higher than in July 2021, when the average was 168 deaths per day, and higher than in June 2022 when the average was 258 deaths per day, NBC News reported. The trend is different for US case counts: 73,000 per day, down by 14% over the last two weeks.

The US has seen "an important shift in our fight against the virus,” said white House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha last week. An official end to the public health emergency has yet to be declared. On Wednesday, September 14, the WHO released six key actions to help countries end outbreaks, including continued testing, treatment, and vaccinations. Easing up on these efforts might lead to "more variants, more deaths, more disruption, and more uncertainty,” according to the article.