Director-General of Word Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom warned on Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), according to a statement released by the WHO Emergency Committee.

Under the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO Director-General first declared the COVID-19 outbreak a PHEIC on January 30, 2020, following the second WHO Emergency Committee meeting, which has been convened every three months since then.

The WHO held its seventh meeting of the COVID-19 Emergency Committee last Thursday. Health experts assessed the global epidemic situation, expressed concerns over the continued rise in cases and deaths, the need to scale up the global vaccination efforts and further research on novel coronavirus variants.

Meanwhile, the WHO Emergency Committee also recommended that proof of vaccination not be required as a condition of international travel, maintaining its stance on the issue under growing debate.  

The independent experts cited limited evidence on whether vaccination against COVID-19 reduces people's ability to transmit the virus and "the persistent inequity in global vaccine distribution." 

States should recognize that requiring proof of vaccination deepens inequities and promotes unequal freedom of movement, said the experts. 

(With inputs from Reuters)