The WHO declares COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern: benefits, challenges, and necessary precautions to come back to normal life

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The WHO designated the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, as the number of cases swiftly increased across the globe [1] . The pandemic has affected the global community, including public health, the economy, education, and mental health. The implementation of laws that prohibit gatherings and promote social distancing has also had an impact on our social lives [2] . In addition, the pandemic has resulted in more than 765 million con fi rmed COVID-19 cases and more than 6.9 million associated deaths as of 3 May 2023 [3] . The situation has changed. The impact of COVID-19 has begun to diminish, and the hospitalization rate and admission to intensive care units have decreased consistently. The WHO was receiving signi fi cantly fewer surveillance reports from countries. More people are now vaccinated worldwide which reduces the risk to global public health. In addition, the virulence of the currently circulating coronavirus is substantially more consistent than that of its predecessor. Despite the constant evolution of SARS-CoV-2, clinical case management has also made signi fi cant strides in recent years. The currently circulating mutations do not appear to be associated with a disease progression. As of 3 May 2023, 89% of health personnel and 82% of individuals over 60 have received vaccinations [3] . The WHO announced that after more than a year of analyzing data, International Health Regulations Emergency Committee (IHREC) recommended that they take initiatives to end the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 5 May 2023, the WHO declared that COVID-19 is no longer a PHEIC [4] . This does not