Six million deaths. Almost half a billion infections. Countless lives upended.

In the two years since the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic the whole world has been impacted. Cases are declining at the moment, but public health officials say the crisis is far from over. CGTN’s Jim Spellman has more in this report.

To discuss the ongoing pandemic: 

• William Haseltine is the chair and president of ACCESS Health International. His latest book is “Natural Immunity and COVID-19: What It Is and How It Can Save Your Life.”
• Peter Chin-Hong is a professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.
• Gustavo Ribeiro is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Brazilian Report.
• Chris Smith is a consulting virologist at the University of Cambridge and co-presenter of “The Naked Scientists” podcast.

For more:

The WHO, often criticized for being too slow to declare a pandemic two years ago today, now says countries are being too quick to declare it over and let down their guard.

The agency urged continued vigilance against Covid in several forums this week. https://t.co/3HSr1CYsfU

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 11, 2022

BREAKING: Pfizer is expected to request authorization this week for an additional COVID-19 booster dose for seniors. It would add a fourth dose to the regimen, which now consists of a primary series of two shots, followed months later by a booster dose. https://t.co/VkCVVUua9g

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 15, 2022

It's been more than two years since the WHO declared the COVID-19 emergency a pandemic, and last week the death toll topped 6 million people worldwide. (From @NewsHour) https://t.co/lP5btIq9om

— PBS (@PBS) March 15, 2022