After almost three years of the world battling against COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that a post-pandemic world is around the corner.

The latest global weekly deaths, collected from early September, signalled the lowest figure since March 2020 when strains began spreading internationally at an alarming rate.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus chose a marathon as a metaphor for the COVID crisis as he said the finish line is within reach.

“Now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards of all our hard work,” Dr Ghebreyesus said.

Since the original outbreak from December 2019, COVID-19 has caused over 6.5 million deaths around the world, with 14,421 reported in Australia so far by the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Melbourne entered its first lockdown on March 30, 2020. In total, the Victorian Government had six lockdowns, with the longest running from July to October 2020.

WHO will have a follow-up meeting in October to re-assess the situation and determine if COVID-19 is still a matter of a public emergency.

As far as future protection is concerned, US health officials recommended an annual vaccination against COVID-19 just like a flu shot, which should be sufficient enough to protect an average person.

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