The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the “symbolic end” of the COVID-19 pandemic – downgrading its status as a “global emergency” and Washington state will follow suit with the Public Health emergency officially ending in less than one week. “This has not been easy as you all know this has been a long tiring road for all,” said Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shaw. Shaw maintains the fight against COVID-19 is not over – it continues with a new strategy. “Here we are 12 hundred days later announcing the public health emergency declaration is currently scheduled to expire on May 11th of 2023,” Shaw continued. On Jan. 20, 2020, in Snohomish County, Wash. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the United States. Ten days later, the first recorded case of a person-to-person spread is recorded in the US. By mid-March, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and that lasted until Friday. READ THE FULL STORY HERE: https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/who-downgrades-covid-timeline-pandemic-washington/281-ddd250fd-5c5b-490f-a56d-a58c727ba32e