This was stated on Wednesday by the head of the World Health Organization.
“We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in sight.”
His comments were the agency’s most optimistic view since it declared an international emergency more than two and a half years ago.
Deaths from COVID last week are the lowest since March 2020.
The virus has killed nearly 6.5 million people and infected more than 600 million after emerging in China in late 2019.
It rocked economies and overwhelmed health care systems.
Vaccines and therapies have stemmed deaths and hospitalizations…and the Omicron variant and its subvariants have caused less severe disease.
Still, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged vigilance, saying countries needed to step up policies, vaccinate high-risk groups and continue testing, likening the effort to a marathon.
“We can see the finish line, we are in a position to win, but now is the worst time to stop running, now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards. the fruits of all our labor.”
With one million COVID deaths this year alone, the pandemic remains a global emergency.
The WHO will convene experts in October to decide whether the pandemic should remain at its highest alert level.