The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a new COVID outbreak in China a global health emergency. This decision follows a meeting held by WHO’s emergency committee on Thursday, where they recommended labeling the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The decision was almost unanimous among the committee members.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, clarified that the declaration was made not because of the situation in China, but due to concerns over the virus spreading to other countries, particularly those with weaker health systems that may not be ready to handle it. Tedros assured that this declaration was not a sign of doubt in China’s ability to control the outbreak. In fact, WHO continues to have confidence in China’s efforts to manage the situation.

To combat the spread of the virus, the WHO has made several recommendations. These include speeding up the development of vaccines and treatments and addressing the spread of misinformation about the virus.

This is the sixth time since the PHEIC label was introduced 15 years ago that the WHO has declared a global health emergency. This decision underlines the serious nature of the outbreak and the need for a global response to prevent further spread.