GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide.
The announcement, more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe.
The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase is over, the pandemic isn’t finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects.
Mark Schiefelbein, Associated Press
A worker wearing a protective suit swabs a man's throat for a COVID-19 test June 22, 2022, at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing.
“It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,” he said, warning that new variants could emerge. He noted the official COVID-19 death toll is 7 million but the real figure is estimated to be at least 20 million.
Tedros said the pandemic was on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries already returned to life as it was before COVID-19.
He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done, saying it shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, led to the spread of misinformation and plunged millions into poverty.
Emilio Morenatti, Associated Press
Javier Anto, 90, reacts April 21, 2021, in front of his wife, Carmen Panzano, 92, through the window separating the nursing home from the street in Barcelona, Spain.
The political fallout in some countries was swift and unforgiving. Some pundits say missteps by President Donald Trump in his administration’s response to the pandemic had a role in his losing his reelection bid in 2020. The United States saw the deadliest outbreak anywhere in the world: More than 1 million people died across the country.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, submitted her resignation Friday, saying the waning of the pandemic is a good time to make a transition. She sent a resignation letter to President Joe Biden and announced the decision at a CDC staff meeting.
Her last day will be June 30, CDC officials said. An interim director wasn’t immediately named.
The CDC, with a $12 billion budget and more than 12,000 employees, is an Atlanta-based federal agency charged with protecting Americans from public health threats.
Manuel Balce Ceneta
FILE - Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine an update on the ongoing Federal response to COVID-19, June 16, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Walensky submitted her resignation Friday, May 5, 2023, saying the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a good time to make a transition. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Walensky, 54, has been the agency’s director for a little over two years. In her letter to Biden, she expressed “mixed feelings” about the decision and didn’t explain exactly why she was stepping down.
“I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career,” she wrote.
Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to negotiate a wide-ranging pandemic treaty to decide how future health threats should be faced.
Ryan said that some of the scenes during COVID-19, when people resorted to “bartering for oxygen canisters,” fought to get into emergency rooms and died in parking lots because they couldn’t get treated, must never be repeated.
When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, the disease hadn’t yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.
More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people received at least one dose of vaccine.
In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging pandemic response measures, including vaccine mandates, will end. Deaths in the U.S. are at their lowest point since the earliest days of the outbreak in early 2020.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, Associated Press
Pallbearers wait for coffins to arrive Jan. 21, 2021, at a state burial of government ministers who died of COVID-19 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus’ potential to spread in countries with weak health systems.
Some countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.
WHO doesn’t “declare” pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists said a pandemic was underway.
WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the world’s response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly. It recommended against mask-wearing for the public for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.
Dar Yasin, Associated Press
Health workers talk to Khatija, an elderly tribal woman, to persuade her to take the COVID-19 vaccine June 5, 2021, in Doodkulan village south of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Numerous scientists also slammed WHO’s reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agency’s lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.
Mark Woolhouse, an infectious-diseases professor at the University of Edinburgh, described COVID-19 as a “once-in-a-lifetime disaster” and said broad immunity against the virus meant we are now in a new phase of the outbreak.
He lamented that the global community missed numerous chances to stop the coronavirus earlier, in addition to causing much “self-inflicted harm” by shutting down much of society.
“Given the ever-present threat of another pandemic, lessons need to be learned,” he said.
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Canva
More than $1 trillion was added to the overall debt carried by consumers in 2022—an extraordinary increase not seen in over a decade. The 7% increase was fueled by elevated levels of inflation, sharp increases in consumer demand and near-full employment levels that kept already cash-flush consumers spending.
In the background, and almost certain to inform consumer borrowing behavior in 2023, is the ratcheting up of interest rates by the Federal Reserve. In its wake is a shakeup of home prices and mortgage affordability; ever-increasing interest rates on variable-rate credit cards, which now average close to 20%; and a marked increase in personal loan activity.
As part of our ongoing review of consumer debt and credit in the U.S., Experian examined representative and anonymized credit data from the third quarter (Q3) of 2019 through Q3 2022 to identify trends within balance and delinquency data for household credit categories.
The total consumer debt balance increased to $16.38 trillion in 2022, up from $15.31 trillion in 2021. The 7% increase from 2021 to 2022 was larger than the 5.4% increase in the same period from 2020 to 2021.
All 50 states and Washington, D.C., experienced increases in average debt balances in 2022. The larger increases were in the Western states, with Idaho and Utah leading the nation. Oklahoma and Connecticut had the two smallest increases in average debt last year.
Total Consumer Debt:
- 2019: $14.14 T
- 2020: $14.53 T
- 2021: $15.31 T
- 2022: $16.38 T
- 2021-2022 Change: +7%
Canva
More than $1 trillion was added to the overall debt carried by consumers in 2022—an extraordinary increase not seen in over a decade. The 7% increase was fueled by elevated levels of inflation, sharp increases in consumer demand and near-full employment levels that kept already cash-flush consumers spending.
In the background, and almost certain to inform consumer borrowing behavior in 2023, is the ratcheting up of interest rates by the Federal Reserve. In its wake is a shakeup of home prices and mortgage affordability; ever-increasing interest rates on variable-rate credit cards, which now average close to 20%; and a marked increase in personal loan activity.
As part of our ongoing review of consumer debt and credit in the U.S., Experian examined representative and anonymized credit data from the third quarter (Q3) of 2019 through Q3 2022 to identify trends within balance and delinquency data for household credit categories.
The total consumer debt balance increased to $16.38 trillion in 2022, up from $15.31 trillion in 2021. The 7% increase from 2021 to 2022 was larger than the 5.4% increase in the same period from 2020 to 2021.
All 50 states and Washington, D.C., experienced increases in average debt balances in 2022. The larger increases were in the Western states, with Idaho and Utah leading the nation. Oklahoma and Connecticut had the two smallest increases in average debt last year.
Total Consumer Debt:
- 2019: $14.14 T
- 2020: $14.53 T
- 2021: $15.31 T
- 2022: $16.38 T
- 2021-2022 Change: +7%
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Experian
- The largest percentage increases were for personal loans, where total balances grew by 18.3%, and credit card balances, which grew by 16%.
- Balances of home-based loan types—mortgages, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit—all grew as mortgage interest rates increased.
- Retail credit card balances declined, as consumer financing for department stores became increasingly supplemented, if not supplanted, with buy now, pay later financing.
- In the auto financing space, consumer demand for new auto loans was abundant, as dealers sold cars as soon as they arrived on dealers' lots for much of 2022. Most cars sold for more than their manufacturer's sticker price, and auto loan balances grew by 6%. Conversely, the relatively smaller auto lease market actually fell by 23%, as inventory was diverted from the lease market to the auto loan market.
- Finally, student loan balances declined in 2022, as eligible borrowers await the Supreme Court's decision on the Biden Administration's student debt forgiveness plan, which would cancel more than $400 billion in outstanding loans. Meanwhile, student loan payments—and the accrual of interest—have been on hold since March 2020. Additionally, loan balances were canceled for thousands of borrowers through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Overall, student loan balances fell by 9.3% in 2022.
Each of these types of debt illustrates a similar picture: Inflation, which grew at a pace not seen in 40 years, played a role in increasing nominal average balances of all types of debt, more than it had in the previously low-inflation environment of the 21st century. Average credit card balances increased the most, driven by increased demand for goods and services as economic activity resumed as pandemic restrictions and supply chain disruptions eased.
Experian
- The largest percentage increases were for personal loans, where total balances grew by 18.3%, and credit card balances, which grew by 16%.
- Balances of home-based loan types—mortgages, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit—all grew as mortgage interest rates increased.
- Retail credit card balances declined, as consumer financing for department stores became increasingly supplemented, if not supplanted, with buy now, pay later financing.
- In the auto financing space, consumer demand for new auto loans was abundant, as dealers sold cars as soon as they arrived on dealers' lots for much of 2022. Most cars sold for more than their manufacturer's sticker price, and auto loan balances grew by 6%. Conversely, the relatively smaller auto lease market actually fell by 23%, as inventory was diverted from the lease market to the auto loan market.
- Finally, student loan balances declined in 2022, as eligible borrowers await the Supreme Court's decision on the Biden Administration's student debt forgiveness plan, which would cancel more than $400 billion in outstanding loans. Meanwhile, student loan payments—and the accrual of interest—have been on hold since March 2020. Additionally, loan balances were canceled for thousands of borrowers through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Overall, student loan balances fell by 9.3% in 2022.
Each of these types of debt illustrates a similar picture: Inflation, which grew at a pace not seen in 40 years, played a role in increasing nominal average balances of all types of debt, more than it had in the previously low-inflation environment of the 21st century. Average credit card balances increased the most, driven by increased demand for goods and services as economic activity resumed as pandemic restrictions and supply chain disruptions eased.
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Experian
Balances grew for all borrowers, no matter their risk to lenders. Typically, those with very good or exceptional FICO Scores are able to finance more than those with lower scores. Nonetheless, average balances grew the most in percentage terms among those with the highest credit scores and lowest credit scores. Even those with good scores—comprising more than 35% of all U.S. consumers—saw overall average debt increase by 3.9% to $95,067 last year.
Experian
Balances grew for all borrowers, no matter their risk to lenders. Typically, those with very good or exceptional FICO Scores are able to finance more than those with lower scores. Nonetheless, average balances grew the most in percentage terms among those with the highest credit scores and lowest credit scores. Even those with good scores—comprising more than 35% of all U.S. consumers—saw overall average debt increase by 3.9% to $95,067 last year.
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Experian
Average overall debt increased among all except the oldest of U.S. consumers in 2022. Through a generational lens, 2022 echoed 2021: Debt balances held by older generations have largely leveled off, while younger generations continued to amass debt at double-digit annual rates.
Generation Z experienced a nearly 25% jump in average debt balance, which is in line with the additions of new debt the generation is broadly taking on. While this increase may seem striking, it's largely a result of milestone responsibilities such as first-ever car payments, student loans or, in some cases, mortgages. And while Gen Z takes on new debts, older generations are going through the inverse pattern of shedding debt as they pay off financial obligations they took on when they were younger.
Experian
Average overall debt increased among all except the oldest of U.S. consumers in 2022. Through a generational lens, 2022 echoed 2021: Debt balances held by older generations have largely leveled off, while younger generations continued to amass debt at double-digit annual rates.
Generation Z experienced a nearly 25% jump in average debt balance, which is in line with the additions of new debt the generation is broadly taking on. While this increase may seem striking, it's largely a result of milestone responsibilities such as first-ever car payments, student loans or, in some cases, mortgages. And while Gen Z takes on new debts, older generations are going through the inverse pattern of shedding debt as they pay off financial obligations they took on when they were younger.
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Canva
The U.S. continues to face a housing shortage, and rising interest rates designed to tamp down inflation are also dumping cold water on new home purchases. That's especially the case for those financed by conventional 30-year mortgages, which saw rates increase from about 3% at the beginning of 2022 to more than 6% by autumn.
One standout is the 13% jump in mortgage balances held by Generation Z, which may appear startling. But keep in mind that currently this generation represents less than 1% of all mortgage borrowers. As they get older and increase their incomes, their share is certain to increase.
Auto loan debt begins to stabilize
The big seller's market in 2021 was the automotive sector, and prices for both new used vehicles continued to increase in 2022. However, a combination of increasing car lot inventory and consumer sticker shock meant that loan balances didn't increase as sharply in 2022 as in 2021.
Younger generations, often purchasing their first car, have higher average auto loan balances. Older consumers, perhaps waiting a bit until their next auto purchase, saw less of an increase compared with 2021, and balances for Generation X borrowers actually fell slightly last year.
Canva
The U.S. continues to face a housing shortage, and rising interest rates designed to tamp down inflation are also dumping cold water on new home purchases. That's especially the case for those financed by conventional 30-year mortgages, which saw rates increase from about 3% at the beginning of 2022 to more than 6% by autumn.
One standout is the 13% jump in mortgage balances held by Generation Z, which may appear startling. But keep in mind that currently this generation represents less than 1% of all mortgage borrowers. As they get older and increase their incomes, their share is certain to increase.
Auto loan debt begins to stabilize
The big seller's market in 2021 was the automotive sector, and prices for both new used vehicles continued to increase in 2022. However, a combination of increasing car lot inventory and consumer sticker shock meant that loan balances didn't increase as sharply in 2022 as in 2021.
Younger generations, often purchasing their first car, have higher average auto loan balances. Older consumers, perhaps waiting a bit until their next auto purchase, saw less of an increase compared with 2021, and balances for Generation X borrowers actually fell slightly last year.
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Canva
Federal student loan repayments and interest remained paused throughout 2022 and are still suspended, so most federally backed student loan debts aren't growing. (The pause is still in effect, as borrowers await a court decision challenging the legality of a student loan forgiveness plan announced in August 2022.)
Credit card debt increases more sharply among younger consumers
Generation Z—the oldest of whom turned 25 in 2022—saw their credit card balances increase by 25.1% last year, although they still have the lowest average balances. Millennial card debt grew nearly as much at 23.4%, but the average balance of $5,649 among millennials is nearly twice that of Generation Z. All other generations have higher balances than they did a year ago, as well, though their growth wasn't as sharp.
Personal loan debt increases sharply as consumers consolidate revolving credit card debt
Loan balances grew among all consumers, but grew the most for the younger generations. Even the Silent Generation, the oldest of U.S. consumers, saw their usually static average personal loan balances increase by 5.1% in 2022, though their overall debt is lower than it was in 2021. Most often, personal loans are used for debt consolidation, and new loan activity has increased following interest rate hikes that have increased the cost to carry a balance on variable-rate credit cards.
Canva
Federal student loan repayments and interest remained paused throughout 2022 and are still suspended, so most federally backed student loan debts aren't growing. (The pause is still in effect, as borrowers await a court decision challenging the legality of a student loan forgiveness plan announced in August 2022.)
Credit card debt increases more sharply among younger consumers
Generation Z—the oldest of whom turned 25 in 2022—saw their credit card balances increase by 25.1% last year, although they still have the lowest average balances. Millennial card debt grew nearly as much at 23.4%, but the average balance of $5,649 among millennials is nearly twice that of Generation Z. All other generations have higher balances than they did a year ago, as well, though their growth wasn't as sharp.
Personal loan debt increases sharply as consumers consolidate revolving credit card debt
Loan balances grew among all consumers, but grew the most for the younger generations. Even the Silent Generation, the oldest of U.S. consumers, saw their usually static average personal loan balances increase by 5.1% in 2022, though their overall debt is lower than it was in 2021. Most often, personal loans are used for debt consolidation, and new loan activity has increased following interest rate hikes that have increased the cost to carry a balance on variable-rate credit cards.
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What’s in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending
Experian
Debt levels have increased more than in previous years, and although the reasons are many, most fall into one of three broad categories.
- Inflation: Perhaps the most obvious explanation, the 8% increase in consumer prices from September 2021 through September 2022 broadly fed all types of debt balances, from simple grocery store credit card swipes to new mortgages for homes with much higher price tags.
- Interest rates: The Federal Reserve, in its efforts to calm inflation, embarked on an interest rate increase campaign throughout 2022, raising the key fed funds rate from a rock-bottom 0.25% to more than 4% by September. While not all types of borrowing are impacted by Fed rate hikes the same way, credit cards tend to bear the most immediate and drastic impact.
- Consumer demand: The U.S. and the world largely reopened in 2022 after more than a year in economic "hibernation" due to the global pandemic. Broadly, more consumers started buying up goods and services they were deprived of in 2020 and 2021. Moreover, bank account balances remained relatively flush, thanks to government stimulus payments many consumers socked away, and unemployment remained low, which kept household incomes stable if not rising for much of the year.
Each of these factors is expected to cool in 2023. Inflation appears to be slowing into the new year, and consumers are beginning to show they're in fact sensitive to price increases and are purchasing less than in 2022. And Fed watchers are expecting rate increases to end by spring 2023. Assuming a mitigation of each of these three factors, debt levels aren't likely to increase as much in 2023.
Methodology: The analysis results provided are based on an Experian-created statistically relevant aggregate sampling of our consumer credit database that may include use of the FICO Score 8 version. Different sampling parameters may generate different findings compared with other similar analysis. Analyzed credit data did not contain personal identification information. Metro areas group counties and cities into specific geographic areas for population censuses and compilations of related statistical data.
This story originally appeared on Experian and has been independently reviewed to meet journalistic standards.
Experian
Debt levels have increased more than in previous years, and although the reasons are many, most fall into one of three broad categories.
- Inflation: Perhaps the most obvious explanation, the 8% increase in consumer prices from September 2021 through September 2022 broadly fed all types of debt balances, from simple grocery store credit card swipes to new mortgages for homes with much higher price tags.
- Interest rates: The Federal Reserve, in its efforts to calm inflation, embarked on an interest rate increase campaign throughout 2022, raising the key fed funds rate from a rock-bottom 0.25% to more than 4% by September. While not all types of borrowing are impacted by Fed rate hikes the same way, credit cards tend to bear the most immediate and drastic impact.
- Consumer demand: The U.S. and the world largely reopened in 2022 after more than a year in economic "hibernation" due to the global pandemic. Broadly, more consumers started buying up goods and services they were deprived of in 2020 and 2021. Moreover, bank account balances remained relatively flush, thanks to government stimulus payments many consumers socked away, and unemployment remained low, which kept household incomes stable if not rising for much of the year.
Each of these factors is expected to cool in 2023. Inflation appears to be slowing into the new year, and consumers are beginning to show they're in fact sensitive to price increases and are purchasing less than in 2022. And Fed watchers are expecting rate increases to end by spring 2023. Assuming a mitigation of each of these three factors, debt levels aren't likely to increase as much in 2023.
Methodology: The analysis results provided are based on an Experian-created statistically relevant aggregate sampling of our consumer credit database that may include use of the FICO Score 8 version. Different sampling parameters may generate different findings compared with other similar analysis. Analyzed credit data did not contain personal identification information. Metro areas group counties and cities into specific geographic areas for population censuses and compilations of related statistical data.
This story originally appeared on Experian and has been independently reviewed to meet journalistic standards.
